Sowerbutt's New year

"New Year's Eve 1947 was one to remember, Jimmy always said. He and his lot made a fortune," the retired writer for the East London Pioneer, who still has the notebook from his early 1960s interview with Jimmy Sowerbutt, said. "London, at least, was starting to recover from the war and the society set were determined to celebrate in style. Four thousand of them packed into the Chelsea Arts Ball at the Royal Albert Hall, all in fancy dress. They'd made these huge floats for the witching hour, must have cost a fortune.

"Dipper Mark II and his boys and girls were there, a few outside and one or two inside in the cloakrooms and helping at the bars. They were careful, like. Money, compromising letters, packets of white powder - stuff that wouldn't reach the stoppers' ears. Over the next few weeks, society guys and girls were paying big money to get offending items back.
"From somewhere, Jimmy got a list of who was attending the Ball. Read like a Who's Who, he said. He and the lads borrowed a lorry and went visiting. Filled it up by the end of the night - paintings, furs, jewellery, small artworks, the odd antique, even a couple of gold ingots.
"Two things tickled Jimmy and the lads. The lack of security in the posh houses and the high and mighty were happy to buy their neighbours' and friends' stuff at knockdown prices. Redistribution of wealth, he called it."
 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Colour-Lemon-Surrender-1940-ebook/dp/B008USR7FA