Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs was at Highgate Cemetery for a special memorial service for the gang’s leader Bruce Reynolds.
About 50 people attended the service on Thursday, August 8 which tied in with the 50th anniversary of the raid when £2.3million was stolen from a Royal Mail train travelling from Glasgow to London.
The ashes of Reynolds and his wife Frances were buried together below a headstone with “This is it” engraved – the words he said as the train approached on August 8, 1963.
The stone features a bronze mask of his face created by artist son Nick Reynolds.
The 51-year-old told Heathman: “I decided to have a memorial for him now to combine it with the 50th anniversary.
I’ve had my mum’s ashes for a couple of years so I thought it was a good idea to put them together. They had a bit of a mad adventure together.
“It’s been a big shadow over the pair of them and me and I thought here’s an opportunity for a bit of closure.”
During the ceremony, organised by Levertons funeral directors, there was a live musical performance and poetry reading.
“I always had a thing for Highgate Cemetery and thought what a lovely place it is,” said Nick.
“Dad was a fan of Karl Marx and good friends with Jeremy Beadle, who had a huge crime catalogue, and they’re both buried here.”
Reynolds masterminded the heist, which at the time was Britain’s largest robbery.
He spent five years on the run before being caught and serving 10 years in jail.
He died in February aged 81
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