NSW history: Jewel heist which rocked Sydney’s CBD in 1947

In what was considered the biggest jewellery heist of the first half of the 20th century, in 1947 a thief managed to steal jewels worth about $600k today. But his glory was short-lived.

Martin Place taken from George St in 1947. Picture: State Library NSW

Many of those on the streets of Sydney’s CBD on February 17, 1947, would have heard the commotion. A taxi cab roared up George St, took a right up Martin Place – in the days when you could still drive on it – and then turned right on to Macquarie St towards St James Station.

Out of the car jumped a crazed man clutching a bulky parcel and he bolted into the David Jones store, crowded with the remnants of the lunchtime rush.

The man was 25-year-old Cecil John Rolls and in the pouch he carried a collection of jewels he had stolen from a prestigious Sydney retailer worth around £9000 (more than $600,000 today).

It was considered the biggest jewellery heist of the first half of the 20th century.

Rolls, who was married with a daughter but estranged from his young family, was out on bail for using an unlicensed pistol when he decided to pull a job on the reputable jewellers, Fairfax & Roberts at 23 Hunter St, which is today the site of the ironically-named Currency House office block.

Jewel thief Cecil John Rolls.

Max Burns-McRuvie, a historian who specialises in true crime stories that he researches for his tour company Journey Walks, says Rolls had visited the jeweller several times in the weeks leading up to the heist.

“He had been there several times to see the kind of merchandise they had and had presented himself as a wealthy person with a new inheritance of £10,000,” Burns-McRuvie says.

“He explained he was soon to leave for America and couldn’t take that much cash with him so was looking to convert around £4000 of it into jewels. About three days before the robbery, he also visited another nearby jeweller and watchmaker and inquired about selling him some jewellery.”

On the day of the robbery, he visited his estranged wife, Mavis June Rolls, and told her he was going to pull a job and threatened her with a gun so she’d go with him, which she refused.

When he arrived at Fairfax & Roberts, he met with employee, Herbert Arthur Smith, to finalise their transaction.

As Smith pulled out a tray laden with jewels, Rolls pulled out a pistol, pointed it at his head and said: “Don’t do anything brother, or you’ll cop something hot.”

The building which housed the Fairfax & Roberts jeweller. Picture: Hall & Co

He stole jewels worth £9175, including a diamond bracelet and brooch, a diamond and pearl necklace, three sapphire rings, a pair of diamond dress clips and a wedding ring.

Rolls had arranged for an unsuspecting taxi driver to meet him on the corner of Hunter and George streets and, with the gun pointed at his ribs, he told the driver he had just pulled a job and to drive as fast as he could. They sped through the streets at 50 miles an hour (80km/h), back then considered high speed.

When he stopped at Queens Square, Rolls pushed the huge fare of two £10 notes into the driver’s hand, complimented his driving and headed to the second jeweller. He showed the jeweller his haul and admitted he had pulled a job. Rolls pointed a pistol at the jeweller, promised to return in 10 minutes, and then took off on foot.

But he went into hiding because, by now, several involved parties had called the authorities and more than 100 police and detectives were assigned to find Rolls.

That evening, a secret tip-off led them to a derelict apartment in Darlinghurst where they found and arrested Rolls, who admitted to the crime but refused to tell police the whereabouts of the “rocks” unless they gave him a deal. Otherwise, he boasted he would live off the proceeds once released from prison.

The following day a theatre manager found the jewels hidden in his basement dustbin. Rolls pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

“My theory is his estranged wife tipped off police so she could finally be free of him,” Burns-McRuvie says.

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DRUNK, GAMBLER AND THIEF

Mavis June Rolls filed for divorce. Picture: NLA

As soon as Cecil Rolls was sentenced, Mavis Rolls headed to divorce court. She told the court her husband was a drunk, gambler and thief, that their homes had included a friend’s taxi and, when their baby was born, a derelict apartment with a pimp and a prostitute. Rolls had even tried to force his wife into prostitution, which she refused.

“The law was that if your husband was in prison for more than three years you would be granted a divorce easier,” Burns-McRuvie says.

“On hearing Mavis’ testimony, the judge decreed the divorce within three weeks instead of the usual six months.”

FAIRFAX & ROBERTS’ PRECIOUS PAST

The prestigious jewellery enterprise was founded in 1858 by Richard Lamb and Alfred Fairfax, making it Australia’s oldest established jeweller. In 1873, the company designed and produced the clock on the tower at Central station, which still marks time today.

In 1876, Lamb died and 10 years later Oscar G. Roberts invested in the company. The name changed to Fairfax & Roberts and they opened a workshop at 23 Hunter St.

In 1898, they created the commemorative solid gold “opening key” for the Queen Victoria Building.

Today, the company is based at 19 Castlereagh St, specialising in precious jewels and private commissions.