23 Facts About Tommy Butler

Thomas Marius Joseph Butler was a Detective Chief Superintendent in the Metropolitan Police in London.

Tommy Butler was most notable for leading the team of detectives that investigated the Great Train Robbery in 1963.

Tommy Butler was arguably the most renowned head of the Flying Squad in its history.

Tommy Butler became known as "One Day" Tommy for the speed with which he apprehended criminals and the "Grey Fox" for his shrewdness.

Tommy Butler had a meteoric rise through the ranks, going from Detective Sergeant to Chief Superintendent in under a decade.

Tommy Butler was utterly committed to his work and was a lifelong bachelor who lived with his mother in West London.

Tommy Butler was involved in an investigation of corrupt Police officers in Brighton and investigated and curtailed the activities of Jack Spot and Bill Hill.

Tommy Butler became head of the Flying Squad shortly after the Great Train Robbery, after Millen became promoted to Deputy Commander to George Hatherill.

On 12 August 1963 Tommy Butler was appointed to head the police investigation of the London connection.

Tommy Butler formed the six-man Train Robbery Squad: Detective Inspector Frank Williams, Detective Sergeant Steve Moore, Detective Sergeant Jack Slipper, Detective Sergeant Jim Nevill, Detective Sergeant Lou Van Dyck, and Detective Constable Tommy Thorburn.

Tommy Butler went on to say that Daly had played Monopoly with his brother in law Bruce Reynolds earlier in 1963 and that he had gone underground because he was associated with people publicly sought by the police; this was not proof of involvement in a conspiracy.

Tommy Butler's escape team was never caught and the leader nicknamed "Frenchy" disappeared from the London criminal scene by the late '60s.

Seaborne was later caught by Tommy Butler and sentenced to four and a half years and Ronnie Leslie to three years for being the getaway driver.

Tommy Butler was tried in June 1966 at Leicester Assizes and plead guilty to robbery, in exchange the prosecution accepted his plea of not guilty to the charge of conspiracy to rob.

Williams called Tommy Butler who was uninterested in the news, believing it a hoax, and asked to be woken if Edwards was actually collared.

Tommy Butler claimed the Peta Fordham book was 'full of childish lies'.

Tommy Butler was dramatically thinner than prior to the robbery and was unrecognisable to most of the Flying Squad.

Tommy Butler was still keen to pursue the robbers, but at 55 years old he would need to postpone his retirement to do so.

Tommy Butler's diligence paid off for him when he arrested Charlie Wilson in the town of Rigaud, Quebec, Canada on 25 January 1968.

Tommy Butler joined an exclusive golf club and participated in his local community activities.

Tommy Butler said that Butler asked him to keep them secret.

Tommy Butler's death was reported on the same day that Biggs' memoirs were published in The Sun.

Tommy Butler is the lead character in A Copper's Tale, the second part of a two-part BBC television drama entitled The Great Train Robbery that was first broadcast in the UK in December 2013.