Mission Impossible - The Brisbane Medal heist Following the death of General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, who was born and died at Brisbane House in Brisbane Glen in Largs, an incredible theft happened which resulted in the Largs soldier"s medals being stolen which would not have looked out of place in 'Ocean"s Eleven' or 'Mission Impossible'.

In the magazine 'Coins, Medals and Currency', printed in 1967, it was revealed that Sir Thomas"s large collection of medals and other decorations, valued at £2750, were stolen in 1961 from the premises of a London dealer, where they had been sent to be sold.

The article stated: 'As colourful an adventurer as ever fought for his country, General Sir Thomas Brisbane, gave his name to the capital of Queensland, Australia. In his long career in the battlefield, he amassed a fantastic collection of medals and decorations, many of them won in battles overseas.

'Together, the collection made a fascinating slice of history. But 100 years after Brisbane"s death, it was to vanish from the face of the earth, never to be seen again.

'Brisbane died in 1860 at the age of 87. His list of decorations included Knight Grand Cross of the Bath; Peninsular Gold Cross; and Knight Grand Cross of Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order, the later in gold, silver and enamel.

When the collections passed into the hands of the dealers, it was noted that it also included the Badge of the Legion d"Honneur and the rare Badge of the Royal Order of Joseph Napoleon (Spain). Whether these decorations were awarded to General Brisbane, or were captured booty, has never been established.

'In the autumn of 1961, the Brisbane Collection was bought by Selby"s who offered it for sale for £2750. Negotiations were in progress with Australia to enable it to be bought by the city of Brisbane. Then, on the night of 10 February, the blow fell.

'A ruthlessly efficient gang of thieves with oxy-acetylene cylinders inside rolls of linoleum, broke into Selby"s premise sin Great Portland Street. They stead at the offices for about 10 hours, blowing open the main safe, and taking everything of value inside. The contents included the entire Brisbane collection.' Mr P Frank Purvey of Seaby"s said: 'The police told us at the time that there were only half-a-dozen gangs in the country that could have done it.' There seemed to be little doubt, he added, that the robbers had only been after the gold, without concern for the numismatics (the study or collection of coins and medals) values of their hauls.' Medal ribbons had been ripped off , and left lying on the stairway as the gang made their getaway. None of the coins and medals - which included a unique Richard III boar"s head penny of London - has never been recovered.

'It was a tremendous shame,' commented Mr Purvey, 'that such an interesting and historical record should have been lost. It"s sad to think it has all been melted down. But I rather thank that must be what happened.' Could the Queen Elizabeth cruiseliner have been a hotel on the Clyde?

Fresh from the recent headlines surrounding the QE2 leaving the Clyde for the last time to head to Dubai as a floating hotel, readers may be interested to know that there was talk of its predecessor 'The Queen Elizabeth' becoming a permanent fixture in the local bay. The matter was in fact discussed on the BBC no less!

The 'News' reported in 1967: 'Should the liner Queen Elizabeth be used as a floating hotel on the Clyde' was the subject of a discussion on 'Checkpoint' on BBC Radio Scotland.

'The Provost of Largs, P.M White, and the Provosts of Dunoon and Rothesay, all took part. Provost McMillan of Rothesay was all in favour of the idea if the Queen were based in Rothesay bay.

'Provost White said there would be a "civil war" among resorts about where the liner should be anchored. But generally he was against the idea and thought it would be better to spend £2 million (which was the estimated cost of buying the Queen Elizabeth) on the new 200 bedroom hotels on the shore.' However, the Provost of Dunoon, Mr G Trapp, who seemed to be something of a realist in his day, thought the idea of a floating hotel was nothing more than an 'impractical dream'.

Why did the Masonic Order pay a visit to Sir Thomas Brisbane?

According to an article about the history of the masons which featured in 1936, it used to be a regular occurrence. It stated: 'History records the visit of the Brethren, complete with brass band to the Lord of the Manor, Bro. Sir Thomas Mackdougall Brisbane, Bart, at Brisbane House on 15 June 1858.

'The custom or parading the town in a torchlight procession prior to the annual festival of St John has been discontinued but the enthusiasm shown at the annual Installation of the R.W.M still adheres.' The Memorial Stone was laid for the opening of the Masonic Temple in Frazer Street in Largs in 1910, after a delay because of the unexpected death of King George VII caused the ceremony to be postponed. Two years after the Memorial Stone was laid, a two-day 'Grand Masonic' bazaar was held in the Public Hall, Largs, to pay a debt of £650 remainong on the completed temple.

A memorial to the fallen Brethren of Largs who lost their lives in the great 1914-1918 struggle was erected within the Lodge. It read: 'Their memory liveth for evermore.'