HUGE HAUL

Evening Star, Issue 25926, 18 October 1946, Page 7

HUGE HAUL

THIEVES RAID'WINDSORS' LODGE THOUSANDS OF POUNDS' WORTH OF JEWELS LARGE QUANTITY STREWN IN GROUNDS (Rec. 11 a.m.) LONDON, Oct. 17. < Jewellery worth thousands of pounds sterling, belonging to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, was stolen from Ednam Lodge, Sunningdale, the Windsors’ holiday home. The ‘ Evening News ’ exclusively stated that the burglars robbed the Windsors of- jewellery worth at least £250,j)00, but a Press Association correspondent was informed at Ednam Lodge that the value of the stolen jewels was below £25,000, and the loss was covered by insurance. The robbery was carried out at dusk yesterday. The ‘ Evening News ’ says that , practically every valuable the Windsors possessed was taken, but £30,000 worth of jewellery was found strewn in the grounds surrounding Ednam Lodge. The Press Association says that the Duchess of Windsor’s collection of jewellery is estimated to be worth £250,000, including complete sets of blue sapphires, rubies, emeralds, diamonds, and turquoises. The Duchess brought all her jewels from France on October 11, but placed most of them in a safe deposit. Describing the raid as the biggest ever carried out in Britain, the ‘ Evening News ’ says the thieves went to the Duchess’s bedroom, opened a large black box in which practically all. the . Windsors’ jewels were kept, and took all the jewel cases from the box. The paper adds that three of Scotland Yard’s best brains are investigating. The Surrey police called in the

Yard when the extent of the robbery was discovered. Scotland Yard men are investigating whether the robbery was the‘work of cat burglars who entered the bedrooms after climbing to the roof, or of “ walk-in ” thieves who entered the grounds by a gate and walked into the house by the main door. The burglars were not heard, although practically all the staff were in the-houso.