Baton stolen from Wellington Museum, Apsley House, London

Dec. 12, 1965 - Raiders steal Iron Duke's jewels: priceless jewels which once belonged to the Duke of Wellington, the Iron Duke, were stolen last night in a daring raid by two men. The raiders walked into the Wellington Museum at Apsley House, Piccadilly, just before it was due to close at 5.15 pm. They bought visitors tickets and went to the room where the Wellington gems are displayed. The two men slammed the door and hammered wedges under it. Then they coshed the 60-year old attendant, Mr Alfred Brown, of Forest Hill, South London. The raiders smashed showcases and grabbed the Greater George Garter Jewel, the Jewel of the Golden Fleece and jewelled baton of a field-marshal of the Imperial Russian Army. The two men escaped to the street through a window using a piece of corrugated iron as a makeshift bridge. The Garter Jewel was lent to Sir Winston Churchill for the Coronation. It was originally given to his ancestor, the first Duke of Marlborough. Photo shows a field marshal's baton of the Imperial Russian Army, which was stolen yesterday

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