From the Archives: Hero sends bank robbers packing

Nov 17 2010 By Justine Halifax

ON a quiet, November day in 1960, the respectable surburb of Billesley was rocked by a bank robbery.

Terrified bank staff found themselves starring down the barrel of a revolver, being shot at and pistol whipped.

But the opposition that the robbers came up against led to one employee being awarded the George Medal for bravery – and the robbers fled empty handed.

The drama began at 3pm on November 9, as a junior clerk was locking up at a small branch of what was the city’s own bank, The Birmingham Municipal Bank, on Yardley Wood Road, near the fire station, half a mile away from its junction with Brigfield Road.

Thousands of city children started their first saving account at one of its 100-plus branches.

The junior clerk had just locked one large wooden door and was closing the second when he felt someone push against the doors and he turned to find himself looking down the barrel of a revolver.

The door was forced open to reveal a second man also carrying a revolver.

In the time-honoured speech of the violent bank robber, the junior clerk was asked: “Where’s the cash kept”?

The clerk slowly entered the bank followed by the robbers.

The bank manager, 51-year-old John Edwards, and a female cashier had heard the commotion and, as the manager ventured to speak to the robbers, he was pistol whipped by one of them.

Mr Edwards then went behind the counter, which had no modern glass screens to protect the money, and one of the robbers fired the gun at him but fortunately missed.

The junior clerk was now lying on the floor when a second shot was fired at the direction of the manager followed by a demand of: “We want the money!”

Amazingly, Mr Edwards replied “You are not getting any.”