The 80-year-old sister of a Great Train Robbery victim has landed £333,333 on the Postcode Lottery in Crewe, over 60 years after her late brother was attacked during Britain's most infamous heist.

Nancy Barkley, a great-grandma from Crewe, shared a £1 million Millionaire Street prize with two neighbours in CW1 6HN.

The former factory worker said the win made her think of her late brother David Whitby, the train fireman beaten by the gang behind the 1963 Great Train Robbery.

Nancy said: "Everyone all knew the robbers' names but now people remember my brother David as well. And maybe he's looking down on us today."

David Whitby, then aged 25, was aboard the Glasgow to London Royal Mail train targeted on August 8, 1963.

The robbery became one of Britain's most notorious crimes after 15 men escaped with £2.6 million, worth more than £50 million today.

Nancy recalled the terrifying events of that night, saying: "They [the robbers] changed the signals, so the train stopped.

David got out and went down to the signal box to find out why.

He then went to ring the signal box man, but they'd cut the wires."

Nancy said her brother unknowingly walked straight into the gang.

She explained: "He was walking back towards the train and saw a fellow standing there. David said, 'You alright mate?' because he thought he was a railway worker.

"But he was one of the robbers. He grabbed David, pushed him down the bank and started punching him."

Nancy said the gang also attacked driver Jack Mills after he tried to resist them.

She said: "They dragged Jack off the train and handcuffed him to David.

"One of the robbers stood over them and warned them some of the gang were 'right b*****ds'."

Driver Jack suffered severe head injuries during the raid and never fully recovered. He died in 1970 aged 65.

David died just two years later in 1972 aged just 34 after suffering a heart attack.

Nancy believes both men paid a terrible price for the trauma they suffered during the robbery.

She said: "They spent 50 years glamourising them. It was all Ronnie Biggs this and Ronnie Biggs that.

"They made films about them and turned them into celebrities. Nobody talked about the victims.

"David and Jack both died within years of the robbery and people just forgot about them."

Nancy said recognition finally came decades later when railway officials organised a memorial service honouring the two men.

A plaque was later installed at Crewe Railway Station while roads were named after both men.

She said: "There's a Jack Mills Way and a David Whitby Way now. Every time we drive down there, I say, 'Hello David'."

Nancy and husband Colin, 69, now plan to buy their own bungalow after years of renting.

Colin admitted he secretly put the Postcode Lottery ticket in Nancy's name because he believed she was luckier than him.

He joked: "I told her she was the lucky one. Looks like I was right."

Nancy, who worked as a cutter for Chester Barrie clothing factory, recently moved back to Crewe from Wales after health problems forced the couple closer to family.

She also revealed she battled breast cancer two years ago and later became seriously ill after suffering an infection and digestive complications.

Nancy said: "At one point I went a whole month hardly eating or drinking. I ended up in hospital on drips and intravenous antibiotics."

The couple have already shared the news with their family, although one of their daughters initially thought the winning cheque photographs were fake.

Colin laughed: "She saw the picture with the cheque and said, 'It's AI.' I had to convince her it was real."

Despite the windfall, Nancy insisted the pair will stay grounded, saying: "We're not flashy people. We don't drink and we're happy with simple things.

"We like going out for lunch and little trips away."

Instead, Nancy said helping their daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will be the biggest joy.

She added: "One daughter turned 60 last week, another had her birthday today and my birthday is next week. May must be our lucky month."

"This is just unbelievable. I never expected anything like that amount. I thought £1,000, anything over that is a bonus. "This is a blooming big bonus."

Local charities to receive funding from the lottery win were: Chance Changing Lives (£50k), Body Positive Cheshire and North Wales (£50k), Her-Place Charitable Trust (£50k), Cheshire Without Abuse  (£50k) and Hopes and Beams (£25k).

READ MORE: Another Crewe convenience store hit with police closure order.

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