South Norwood Tourist Board

In 1966 England was caught in the grip of World Cup fever, everyone wanted a piece of the action – but there was mischief afoot and without the help of one four-legged hero the story of England winning the World Cup in 1966 would have been very different.

The scene of the crime was Central Hall, Westminster. It was the 20th March and the StampEx philatelic exhibition had obtained permission to display the World Cup during their big event but, despite 24 hour security and the competing temptations of over £3 million worth of stamps also being in the hall, someone managed to break into the display case and make off with the golden Jules Rimet Trophy!

It appeared that the thief had escaped under the cover of the Mothers’ Day Service that was taking place in the hall at the time. It was reported that the security guards saw the trophy in place when the singing started but that by noon it had disappeared!

Mr Cecil Richardson, chairman of the exhibition committee, expressed his sincere regret but pointed out that, “Security precautions were such that a personal observation, a personal guard, was put on this cup almost from before it arrived until, unfortunately, the moment it left.” He said that although there were “at least two to four guards circulating the hall at the time,” he suggested the theft must have occurred during “an aversion of human eyes.” Indeed, “nothing had gone wrong. It was just stolen.”

However, as news spread around the world and everyone was asking how such a thing could be allowed to happen in the home of football. Not only that but the President of FIFA was English! Sir Stanley Rous was now facing the embarrassment of hosting the 1966 World Cup with no trophy! Secretary of the Football Association, Denis Follows was distraught, rightly identifying that the theft of the trophy, “casts quite a cloud over our preparations for the World Cup.” Fellows secretly asked silversmith George Bird to make a replica of the trophy.

Detective Chief Inspector William Little, of Scotland Yard, was anxious to interview a man seen lingering near the doors to the exhibition, who was described as being, “in his late thirties, 5ft 10in tall, of slim build and sallow complexion, with dark, possibly black hair, greased, wearing a dark suit.” At the time the police were working on the suspicion that the raid might have been the work of a lucky crank. Many detectives regarded the ‘Royal’ part of London with professional distaste as it was prone to cranks. A year later they would open New Scotland Yard within yards of the crime. Certainly there was no shortage of cranks. One man claimed that his clock had told him the trophy was in Ireland. Another sent a photograph from a German newspaper with a cross next to the ‘guilty’ man.

Then Joe Mears, the Chair of the FA (and also Chelsea FC), received a phone call from a man calling himself Jackson who told him that a parcel would be left at Stamford Bridge. Mears was told to follow the instructions inside. When the parcel arrived it contained part of the trophy and a demand for £15,000 or it would be melted down.

As instructed, Mears posted the message Evening News confirming that he was ready to do the deal. But he also told the police and Detective Inspector Len Buggy of the Flying Squad arranged to pose as Mears’ assistant. He arrived at the meet in Battersea Park with £500 bulked up with cut newspaper to look like £15,000. Jackson told Buggy to drive around south London for 10 minutes – but Jackson spotted the police back up team and tried to escape. The police managed to arrest him – but of the World Cup there was no sign…

Jackson’s real name was Edward Betchley, whose only previous conviction was in 1954 for receiving tins of corned beef. Throughout his interrogation he insisted that he was just the middleman and that the mysterious man behind the plot was known only as The Pole. But where was the trophy? It has been suggested that Bletchley offered to reveal the cup’s location in return for a visit from “a lady friend” in Brixton prison. Desperate to retrieve the cup, the police apparently agreed.

Meanwhile in South Norwood a furry four-legged hero was about to save the day! It was 27th March when Dave Corbett left his South Norwood flat to make a telephone call from the phone box across the road. This was 1966 and it was quite a luxury to have a phone in your house – and mobiles were the stuff of science fiction! With him was Pickles, his mongrel dog with a penchant for chewing furniture. Pickles pulled Dave over to a neighbour’s car and started sniffing at a package under the front wheel. It was tightly bound in newspaper but as it was pulled loose it revealed the golden likeness of a woman holding a dish above her head with the words Germany, Uruguay, Brazil engraved around it. “I rushed inside to my wife,” Dave told reporters, “She was one of those anti-sport wives. But I said, I’ve found the World Cup! I’ve found the World Cup!”

However, far from being treated as a hero, when he took his find to the police station he was treated as a suspect and taken to Scotland Yard where he was interrogated until 2.30 AM! Even his workmates accused him of nicking it but in the end he was cleared of any wrong-doing. “I was suspect number one,” he recalled, “I wondered if I should’ve chucked it back in the road. I was up at six the next day for work! I went into this bloody great incident room with twenty coppers taking calls. I heard one say, ‘We’ve just searched the Northern Line because someone said it was under seat number seven’.”

Meanwhile the story spread worldwide, knocking the General Election off of the front pages. Pickles became a celebrity. Everyone wanted to see him – and be seen with him. So Dave got him an agent – the same one who handled Spike Milligan. “He made me £60 a day,” said Dave, “Bloody brilliant! He would call and my wife and I would meet him and his girlfriend and go drinking Champagne!” Pickles appeared on numerous TV shows including Magpie and Blue Peter and even starred in a feature film, The Spy with the Cold Nose. He was named Dog of the Year and given a year’s supply of dog food by Spillers. There were even offers visit other countries such as Chile, Czechoslovakia and Germany, “But I would’ve had to put Pickles into quarantine for six months and he was only a pet, so I didn’t think I could do that.”

On the evening of England’s 4-2 victory over West Germany Dave and Pickles were invited to the celebrations, “I went in with Pickles under my arm and Bobby Charlton, all of them, picked him up. But I ate with the wives in a separate room. The women weren’t allowed upstairs. They made a fuss of the dog, but God they were upset. ‘Our husbands win the World Cup and the FA banish us down here!’ they said.”

The FA and the police had made plans to ensure they would not be embarrassed again. A plain-clothes police officer joined the players on their lap of honour – and can be seen in many of the photographs. Another police officer was stationed by the changing rooms with the FA commissioned replica and switched it with the original to avoid any further disasters.

Once the need for it was over the replica was returned to George Bird. The Jules Rimet Trophy was permanently awarded to Brazil after their victory in 1970 but in 1983 it was stolen again. This time there was no Pickles to save it and it was never seen again! The replica went for auction at Sotheby’s and was bought by FIFA for £254,000. It now resides at the National Football where the FA charge £12,000 a day to let it out.

Unfortunately Pickles lived fast and died young, running off after a cat and catching his lead in a tree. He is buried in the garden of the house the Corbetts bought with the reward money, where Dave still lives to this day.