Welcome to our world exploring the Historical, Political and Technological aspects of Locks, Keys and Safes

Page 3 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast
Results 21 to 30 of 33
  1. #21
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Devon UK
    Posts
    3,117
    Country: UK

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Redoubt View Post
    Unfortunately the human part of the situation is the weakest link.
    It was many decades ago but which was the large safe company which went under after one of its employees looked in the company records which included the bittings and cut some keys for himself?

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Aberdeenshire
    Posts
    697
    Country: Great Britain

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Gordon View Post
    It was many decades ago but which was the large safe company which went under after one of its employees looked in the company records which included the bittings and cut some keys for himself?
    Hello Tom, you've just reawakened a very vague recollection from somewhere around 1950 which makes me think Milner. However this does not tally with your thought that the company involved went under.

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Devon UK
    Posts
    3,117
    Country: UK

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by safeman View Post
    Hello Tom, you've just reawakened a very vague recollection from somewhere around 1950 which makes me think Milner. However this does not tally with your thought that the company involved went under.
    How very odd though that ANY safe manufacturer or seller thought it a good idea to keep records of the key bittings against their safe records (which would include the customers name and delivery address.

  4. #24
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Posts
    1,485
    Country: United States

    Default

    Were there any cases of burglary associated with this record-keeping blunder, or was the employee discovered before using the keys that were cut?

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Cyberspace
    Posts
    1,318
    Country: Australia

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Gordon View Post
    How very odd though that ANY safe manufacturer or seller thought it a good idea to keep records of the key bittings against their safe records (which would include the customers name and delivery address.
    I thought the guy that was doing it was copying keys just before the safe was delivered, nothing to do with records ....

  6. #26
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    leeds
    Posts
    609
    Country: Great Britain

    Default

    That is similar to what I remember, cutting extra keys and noting addresses before delivery, and then some years later robbing the safes. They got caught after breaking their rule of never going back anywhere twice. I thought it might have been Chubbs.

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Bournemouth, UK
    Posts
    470
    Country: UK

    Default

    It was Milners, a B&W film was made about it - Man of the Shadows.

  8. #28
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Posts
    1,485
    Country: United States

    Default

    I'd like to watch the film but it doesn't show up in the usual places (amazon, imdb, wikipedia, youtube).

  9. #29
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    North West England.
    Posts
    31
    Country: England

    Default

    The Long Arm (USA: The Third Key) from 1956 has a similar theme.

  10. #30
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Edinburgh
    Posts
    259
    Country: UK

    Default

    The long arm was the original British title, (USA The third key).
    Ealing studios, available on DVD in UK in The Ealing Studios Collection.
    Jack Hawkins later re-used his detective character as Gideon in a series of crime fiction films from the books of JJ Marric.

    After the Milner name became known publicly, there was a crisis of customer confidence in Milner safes. Hall Agregates which owned both companies, soon merged Milner and Chatwood.
    Soon after that, Chatwood-Milner joined the Chubb Group.
    Some of the story of the police investigation is recounted in FIRMIN Men in the shadows, and GOSLING Ghost Squad. See also, KIRBY Scotland Yard's Ghost Squad: The Secret Weapon Against Post-War Crime.
    The 'Ghost Squad' was the British police's first undercover squad.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •