his wealthier clients had in their country houses, making them prime targets for the thieves. Another key reason being that an honest solicitor was useless to a career criminal of that era. What was needed was a bent solicitor who could arrange for alibis and friendly witness statements and bribe police and witnesses. As the managing clerk at his law firm, Field was able to carry out these activities and encourage repeat business. On one occasion he described the contents and layout of a house near Weybridge where his wife Karin had once been a nanny to a couple of criminals that he represented at various times in his career, Gordon Goody and Buster Edwards. He had arranged Buster's defence when he had been caught with a stolen car, and later met Goody at a nightclub in Soho. Field was then called upon to assist in the defence of Goody in the aftermath of the "Airport Job" which was a robbery carried out on 27 November 1962 at a branch of Barclays Bank at London Airport. This was the big practice robbery that the South West Gang had done prior to their grand scheme – the Great Train Robbery. Field was successful in arranging bail for Goody and Charlie Wilson. Great Train Robbery Field was a crucial member of the Great Train Robber gang. He was the link between the gang's organizers and the informants who knew the details of the Royal Mail train and he was also crucial in arranging for the gang's escape with the loot and in purchasing the gang's hideout at Leatherslade Farm and was entrusted with its clean up (which ended badly). Planning the robbery The robbery was planned by several parties with no overall mastermind, although the robbery operation itself was planned and executed by Bruce Reynolds, the target and the information on the timing of the train and the amount of cash being carried, came from the unknown individual dubbed the "Ulsterman". The key field organisers were Gordon Goody, Buster Edwards, and Charlie Wilson. According to one account by Piers Paul Read (1978), in January 1963, shortly after the furore of the Airport Job had died down, Brian Field called Gordon Goody to a meeting at the Old Bailey and asked him whether he was interested in a large sum of money that only a large gang could steal. The following day, Goody