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Unsolved Crime at Marley Hill
Missing Money Still A Mystery. (from an old article).
Miners' wages to the amount of £12,000 were stolen from Marley Hill Colliery Offices on Thursday, 15th September, 1949. The money, made up into wage packets, was put into the strong room on Thursday night, and when it was opened on the Friday morning at 8.0 a.m. by the cashier, Mr. J. Bell and Mr. D. Dormerhill, clerk, the money was missing. No force was used to gain entry into the colliery office or strongroom itself, and the supposition was that a duplicate key had been used. When Thursday became the day for collecting the money from the bank it was necessary to guard it overnight at the colliery itself. A night watchman's rota was instituted comprising colliery officials. Mr. Ralph Shield, foreman drainer, was the night guard on duty in a room. Thursday was his usual night on duty and during his period on guard he was visited at regular intervals by colliery firemen from a nearby building.
Mr. W. Welsh, N.C.B. area general manager, stated that all the men affected by the robbery would be paid on Satruday. Fourteen men and girls worked all over again to remake the miners' wage packets and the paying out proceeded smoothly on the Saturday morning. The money was in soiled pound and ten shilling notes and £1,000 in silver and copper and the thief left nothing. He even struggled away with a hundredweight of copper and silver.
The N.C.B. offered a reward of £500 for any information which would lead to the arrest of the thieves and the recovery of the stolen money. Now 18 years have passed since the robbery. Not a single clue has been found that would help the police in their investigations and today the North East's perfect crime still remains unsolved.