Ken Leishman
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Leishman also known as the Flying Bandit or the Gentleman Bandit was a Canadian
thief responsible for multiple robberies between 1957 and 1966. On his most famous heist, Leishman and four accomplices stole almost $385,000 (just over $2.5 million 2009 dollars) in gold
bullion being transported by TransAir to Winnipeg
where it would be shipped via Air Canada
to Ottawa
. After being caught and arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP), Leishman managed to escape twice, before pleading guilty, and serving the remainder of his various sentences. In December 1979, while flying a mercy flight
to Thunder Bay
, Ken's airplane crashed about 40 miles north of Thunder Bay. A 2005 television documentary—entitled Ken Leishman: The Flying Bandit—follows the amazing story of this man. Other biographical material about Leishman includes a play (The Flying Bandit by Lindsay Price), a book (The Flying Bandit by Heather Robertson) and a "non-fiction novel
" based on his life, called Bandit: A Portrait of Ken Leishman by Wayne Tefs.
. Coming from a troubled home, he dropped out of school prior to graduation, and worked various jobs before marrying Elva Shields at the age of seventeen. Sometime in the summer of 1951 Leishman started working as a travelling mechanic for Machine Industries, repairing straw cutters in Southern Manitoba. In 1952, he was able to purchase an Aeronca aircraft, using it to fly to the farms he needed to work at, as well as making additional money selling short rides in the plane. At some point in the next five years, Machine Industries closed its doors, and Leishman started working for Queen Anne Cookware. He continued working with them until November 1957, when they went bankrupt.
on the corner of Yonge Street
and Albert in Toronto
, by posing as a friend of the manager, and got away with $10,000. This was accomplished by arranging to meet the manager to talk about a business loan. Once inside the manager's office, with the door closed for privacy, he produced a gun, and had the manager write him a cheque for $10,000. After receiving the cheque, and questioning the manager for personal information about himself, his family, and friends, he coerced the manager into taking him over to a bank teller, and having the cheque cashed. The knowledge gained from the questioning was used to appear as though he was a close friend of the manager. After getting the money, he took the manager with him under pretense of getting a drink, to the getaway car, then let him go.
.
On December 21, 1961, Leishman was parole
d, and for a time worked as a door-to-door salesman to support his family. However, by 1966, with his family having grown to seven children, the income provided by legitimate work was insufficient, and Leishman needed to find another means of supporting his family.
, to watch for shipments of gold leaving for Winnipeg. Once one had been spotted, he would call Leishman to inform him. Leishman, being too well known to the police would contact his two other accomplices to actually go get the gold. They would do this by masquerading as Air Canada staff, with a story about needing to ship the gold out sooner than planned.
Leishman would sometimes hang around the Winnipeg
airport to watch the planes, as a form of inexpensive entertainment. Occasionally, he would see gold shipments from Red Lake
being flown into the airport for transport via Air Canada
to the mint
in Ottawa
. During his incarceration in Stony Mountain Penitentiary he had formed the basics of the idea that would eventually result in Canada's largest-ever gold heist.
Leishman was able to recruit four people to be accomplices in the heist. Harry Backlin, a Winnipeg lawyer who had befriended Leishman in Stony Mountain was to provide financial backing. John Berry, and Richard Grenkow were recruited to be the ones to actually get the gold, as Leishman was too well known to the police to take the gold himself. Finally, the brother of either John or Rick was recruited to go to Red Lake in the guise of a salesman to watch for a large shipment to leave.
In addition to this preparation, Leishman had also prepared fake Air Canada coveralls by purchasing some winter coveralls, and stenciling the Air Canada logo onto them. Lastly, Leishman acquired some Air Canada waybills from the Air Canada desk at the airport by simply waiting until the desk was unmanned at lunch, and taking what he needed.
On March 1, 1966, the lookout called Leishman to report a large shipment of gold was being delivered. The team put their plan into action. Wearing the fake Air Canada coveralls, Rick and John stole one of the Air Canada trucks, and drove to the tarmac to meet the arriving TransAir plane carrying the gold shipment. Pretending to be Air Canada staff, they explained that there had been a change of plans, as there was a charter flight leaving in an hour, and Air Canada wanted to ship the gold out immediately, rather than waiting on the normal flight. As the two were driving an Air Canada truck, had Air Canada uniforms, and had what appeared to be a valid waybill for the shipment, their ruse worked, and the gold was loaded into their truck, and they drove off, taking the gold with them.
The gold was transferred into Leishman's car, and driven to the house of Harry Backlin, who was on vacation with his family, where it was loaded into his freezer. The plan was to leave the gold there overnight, prior to moving it to a farm belonging to Leishman's uncle in Treherne
, however a blizzard on March 3 and March 4 prevented them from recovering it.
Leishman initially stored the gold in a freezer belonging to the lawyer, but as the latter had distanced himself from the heist, it could not stay there, so most of the gold bars ended up buried in Backlin's backyard and were shortly thereafter unearthed by the local police force who were investigating all of Leishman's suspected associates.
, reinforcing his reputation as the "Flying Bandit."
He and his accomplices were arrested in a shootout in Gary, Indiana
. After his release from prison, Leishman moved to Red Lake, Ontario
in 1975 to manage Tomahawk Airlines, even becoming deputy mayor of the community. He disappeared while on a mercy flight in 1979 and was declared officially dead in 1980. Leishman’s exploits caught the fancy of the public, and he became something of a "Robin Hood" figure.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
thief responsible for multiple robberies between 1957 and 1966. On his most famous heist, Leishman and four accomplices stole almost $385,000 (just over $2.5 million 2009 dollars) in gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
bullion being transported by TransAir to Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
where it would be shipped via Air Canada
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...
to Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
. After being caught and arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP), Leishman managed to escape twice, before pleading guilty, and serving the remainder of his various sentences. In December 1979, while flying a mercy flight
Mercy Flights
Mercy Flights is a ground ambulance and air medical transport service based in Medford, Oregon.Mercy Flights was founded as a non-profit organization in 1949 by George Milligan, an air traffic controller in Medford, after a friend of his died of polio in Southern Oregon, unable to survive the long,...
to Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
, Ken's airplane crashed about 40 miles north of Thunder Bay. A 2005 television documentary—entitled Ken Leishman: The Flying Bandit—follows the amazing story of this man. Other biographical material about Leishman includes a play (The Flying Bandit by Lindsay Price), a book (The Flying Bandit by Heather Robertson) and a "non-fiction novel
Non-fiction novel
The non-fiction novel is a literary genre which, broadly speaking, depicts real historical figures and actual events narrated woven together with fictitious allegations and using the storytelling techniques of fiction. The non-fiction novel is an otherwise loosely-defined and flexible genre...
" based on his life, called Bandit: A Portrait of Ken Leishman by Wayne Tefs.
Early life
Ken Leishman was born on June 20, 1931 in the town of Holland, ManitobaHolland, Manitoba
Holland, Manitoba is a community in the Rural Municipality of Victoria, in Manitoba.It is located at the junction of Highway 2 and Highway 34, along the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks....
. Coming from a troubled home, he dropped out of school prior to graduation, and worked various jobs before marrying Elva Shields at the age of seventeen. Sometime in the summer of 1951 Leishman started working as a travelling mechanic for Machine Industries, repairing straw cutters in Southern Manitoba. In 1952, he was able to purchase an Aeronca aircraft, using it to fly to the farms he needed to work at, as well as making additional money selling short rides in the plane. At some point in the next five years, Machine Industries closed its doors, and Leishman started working for Queen Anne Cookware. He continued working with them until November 1957, when they went bankrupt.
First theft
On December 17, 1957, Ken Leishman robbed the Toronto-Dominion BankToronto-Dominion Bank
The Toronto-Dominion Bank , is the second-largest bank in Canada by market capitalization and based on assets. It is also the sixth largest bank in North America. Commonly known as TD and operating as TD Bank Group, the bank was created in 1955 through the merger of the Bank of Toronto and the...
on the corner of Yonge Street
Yonge Street
Yonge Street is a major arterial route connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. It was formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world at , and the construction of Yonge Street is designated an "Event of...
and Albert in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, by posing as a friend of the manager, and got away with $10,000. This was accomplished by arranging to meet the manager to talk about a business loan. Once inside the manager's office, with the door closed for privacy, he produced a gun, and had the manager write him a cheque for $10,000. After receiving the cheque, and questioning the manager for personal information about himself, his family, and friends, he coerced the manager into taking him over to a bank teller, and having the cheque cashed. The knowledge gained from the questioning was used to appear as though he was a close friend of the manager. After getting the money, he took the manager with him under pretense of getting a drink, to the getaway car, then let him go.
Second theft
Three months later, on March 16, 1958, Leishman attempted to rob another bank on the corner of Yonge Street and Bloor. This time, he was not successful, as the manager was a military veteran, and did not acquiesce upon sight of the gun. As he attempted to escape the bank, he was tripped by a female customer, before being tackled by a teller less than a block from the bank, and was arrested. He was sentenced to twelve years in prison, to be served at Stony Mountain PenitentiaryStony Mountain Institution
Stony Mountain Institution is a federal medium-security facility located in Stony Mountain, Manitoba, about from Winnipeg. It opened in 1877 and can accommodate up to 570 inmates.- History :...
.
On December 21, 1961, Leishman was parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
d, and for a time worked as a door-to-door salesman to support his family. However, by 1966, with his family having grown to seven children, the income provided by legitimate work was insufficient, and Leishman needed to find another means of supporting his family.
The great gold heist
Leishman was the mastermind behind the largest gold theft in Canadian history. The basic plan was fairly straightforward. One accomplice would be stationed in Red LakeRed Lake, Ontario
Population trend:* Population in 2006: 4526* Population in 2001: 4233* Population total in 1996: 4778** Golden : 2248** Red Lake : 2277* Population in 1991:** Golden : 2355** Red Lake : 2268-Climate:...
, to watch for shipments of gold leaving for Winnipeg. Once one had been spotted, he would call Leishman to inform him. Leishman, being too well known to the police would contact his two other accomplices to actually go get the gold. They would do this by masquerading as Air Canada staff, with a story about needing to ship the gold out sooner than planned.
Leishman would sometimes hang around the Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
airport to watch the planes, as a form of inexpensive entertainment. Occasionally, he would see gold shipments from Red Lake
Red Lake, Ontario
Population trend:* Population in 2006: 4526* Population in 2001: 4233* Population total in 1996: 4778** Golden : 2248** Red Lake : 2277* Population in 1991:** Golden : 2355** Red Lake : 2268-Climate:...
being flown into the airport for transport via Air Canada
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...
to the mint
Mint (coin)
A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...
in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
. During his incarceration in Stony Mountain Penitentiary he had formed the basics of the idea that would eventually result in Canada's largest-ever gold heist.
Leishman was able to recruit four people to be accomplices in the heist. Harry Backlin, a Winnipeg lawyer who had befriended Leishman in Stony Mountain was to provide financial backing. John Berry, and Richard Grenkow were recruited to be the ones to actually get the gold, as Leishman was too well known to the police to take the gold himself. Finally, the brother of either John or Rick was recruited to go to Red Lake in the guise of a salesman to watch for a large shipment to leave.
In addition to this preparation, Leishman had also prepared fake Air Canada coveralls by purchasing some winter coveralls, and stenciling the Air Canada logo onto them. Lastly, Leishman acquired some Air Canada waybills from the Air Canada desk at the airport by simply waiting until the desk was unmanned at lunch, and taking what he needed.
On March 1, 1966, the lookout called Leishman to report a large shipment of gold was being delivered. The team put their plan into action. Wearing the fake Air Canada coveralls, Rick and John stole one of the Air Canada trucks, and drove to the tarmac to meet the arriving TransAir plane carrying the gold shipment. Pretending to be Air Canada staff, they explained that there had been a change of plans, as there was a charter flight leaving in an hour, and Air Canada wanted to ship the gold out immediately, rather than waiting on the normal flight. As the two were driving an Air Canada truck, had Air Canada uniforms, and had what appeared to be a valid waybill for the shipment, their ruse worked, and the gold was loaded into their truck, and they drove off, taking the gold with them.
The gold was transferred into Leishman's car, and driven to the house of Harry Backlin, who was on vacation with his family, where it was loaded into his freezer. The plan was to leave the gold there overnight, prior to moving it to a farm belonging to Leishman's uncle in Treherne
Treherne, Manitoba
Treherne is a town in southern Manitoba, Canada. It is located halfway between Winnipeg and Brandon on Provincial Highway 2. It is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of South Norfolk...
, however a blizzard on March 3 and March 4 prevented them from recovering it.
Leishman initially stored the gold in a freezer belonging to the lawyer, but as the latter had distanced himself from the heist, it could not stay there, so most of the gold bars ended up buried in Backlin's backyard and were shortly thereafter unearthed by the local police force who were investigating all of Leishman's suspected associates.
Later life
Imprisoned again as a result of the gold heist, Leishman escaped from Headingley Jail and stole an airplane from Steinbach, ManitobaSteinbach, Manitoba
Steinbach is a city of approx. 13,500 people in the southeast corner of the province of Manitoba, Canada, a short distance from the capital Winnipeg. Steinbach is the largest community in the Eastman region of Manitoba. The city is located in the R.M. of Hanover and bordered to the east by the R.M...
, reinforcing his reputation as the "Flying Bandit."
He and his accomplices were arrested in a shootout in Gary, Indiana
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
. After his release from prison, Leishman moved to Red Lake, Ontario
Red Lake, Ontario
Population trend:* Population in 2006: 4526* Population in 2001: 4233* Population total in 1996: 4778** Golden : 2248** Red Lake : 2277* Population in 1991:** Golden : 2355** Red Lake : 2268-Climate:...
in 1975 to manage Tomahawk Airlines, even becoming deputy mayor of the community. He disappeared while on a mercy flight in 1979 and was declared officially dead in 1980. Leishman’s exploits caught the fancy of the public, and he became something of a "Robin Hood" figure.