BOOK REVIEW: Looking for the Real Weasel: Train Robber, Racer, Rogue – who was Roy James?

This dichotomy of James’ character is one of the central threads Duisberg tries to unravel. Best known for his role as the getaway driver in The Great Train Robbery of 1963, James’ life of crime leading up to the robbery, one which continued after his release from prison, ran parallel with a love of racing which saw him exist in two very different worlds.

In his pursuit to understand just who Roy James was, Duisberg tells his life story in reverse, starting with what sparked his own interest in the man: a painting in a house up for sale, owned by an individual who had a connection to James. And off we go from there; this is as much the story of James’ life as it is about Duisberg’s journey learning about him – a mission which sees him skipping work ‘Teams’ calls to snoop around London streets and visiting other glamorous locations such as Luton Airport Parkway.

Overall, this makes for a very engaging way to uncover James’ story, as you get to know Duisberg in equal measure. Now usually, the idea of an author being as much of a figure in a biography as the subject the book is about would be a cause for concern, but here it just works. Because this isn’t an orthodox biography. The answer to the titular question is something reader and author come to learn together, through conversation with those who knew James closely, committed research, friendly running jokes and prodding but unanswered letters to Bernie Ecclestone along the way.

Significant, too, is Duisberg’s changing opinions on James as the biography progresses. As he says, "what first caught my attention about Roy was the fact that he was once a racing driver." For a seasoned thief, racing was his gateway into another world, one where he could “shed his notoriety and just enjoy himself.” In the early sixties, James was a promising racer, competing in Formula Libre and Formula Junior mere weeks before the infamous robbery. But as Duisberg uncovers, “as our protagonist was enjoying racing, the train robbery gang were formulating the plan of the robbery.”

"In June,” Duisberg explains, “Roy won his final ever Formula Junior race at Aintree in the BT6.” But Formula Junior was discontinued at the end of the season, and as other drivers sought competition elsewhere, “that summer, Roy and others went to do a recce of the robbery site."

At the heart of James’ story is a split between the man who wanted to be accepted into the racing world, and the one unable to quit the criminal life, but the manner in which these two characteristics co-exist is almost hard to believe. Fresh from the robbery, James drove at Goodwood in September 1963, "but scarpered early […] when someone tipped him off that the police were coming for him.” Knowing he was soon to be behind bars, Duisberg reports that James anonymously returned the Sheffield Telegraph Trophy to Cadwell Park Race Circuit because “he never wanted to leave a bad impression in the racing world.”

The respect for the racing community is staggering in the face of his criminal exploits, yet this is what makes James such a compelling subject for a biography. It’s clear he was a daring character, and such brash confidence revealed itself in two incredibly opposing outlets.

Although Duisberg refers to him as such, it’s a step too far to call James an anti-hero. The crimes he committed – including taking the step up from robbery to (not fatally) shooting his father-in-law – ultimately present someone who chose such a path in life. But Duisberg writes about James’ life almost with a sense of fondness, which becomes tainted with the recognition of wasted potential. “Roy was not the Robin Hood character I’d hoped for, nor a misguided young man dragged down the wrong path in life by others. He had everything at his fingertips at this point [of the robbery] in ’63 […]. There is no evidence to suggest that he was coerced into doing the train robbery and, as we now know, even after that, there was no sign he’d ever go straight for long. He was a rogue.”

Yet rogues make for such captivating stories. Duisberg’s biography is an engaging journey into both the life of a man who existed in two very contrasting worlds and the author’s own voyage of discovery. Duisberg pulls you along for a ride you can’t help but be swept up in, through the fascination of criminal plotting, the daredevil nature of 1960s racing, and the unique individuals who knew the man himself.

As a means to learn about the life of Roy James, this biography delivers, but with generous helpings of humour that reward your attention, and the thorough research only a true passion project could produce, it’s even better to read thanks to the liberal injection of Duisberg’s own personality.

You can buy Looking for the real Weasel: Train Robber, Racer, Rogue - who was Roy James? by Rich Duisberg on Amazon.