Theodore Schurch
| Theodore William John Schurch | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 5, 1918 London, England, United Kingdom |
| Died | January 4, 1946 (aged 27) HM Prison Pentonville, London, United Kingdom |
| Allegiance | Germany, Italy, United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Army Service Corps |
| Years of service | 1936 - 1942 |
| Unit | Royal Army Service Corps |
| Battles/wars | Tobruk |
Theodore William John Schurch (5 May 1918 – 4 January 1946) was a British soldier of Anglo-Swiss parentage who was executed under the Treachery Act 1940 following the end of World War II. He was the last person to be executed in Britain for an offence other than murder.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Schurch was born at Queen Charlotte's Hospital, London while his Swiss father was living in Britain. During his late teens Schurch was a member of the British Union of Fascists.[1]
On July 8, 1936 he enlisted in the British Army as a Royal Army Service Corps driver.
[edit] Betrayal
In June 1942 Schurch was captured by Axis forces at Tobruk during the North African campaign. Shortly afterwards he began working for both Italian and German intelligence. He often posed as a prisoner of war to gain the trust of Allied prisoners, including Colonel Sir David Stirling, founder of the Special Air Service.
[edit] Trial and execution
Schurch was arrested in Rome in March 1945, and charged with nine counts of treachery and one count of desertion. He was tried by court martial at the Duke of York's Headquarters in Chelsea, London in September 1945, Major Melford Stevenson presiding. He was defended by Alexander Brands KC. He was found guilty of all charges.
Schurch was hanged on 4 January 1946 at HM Prison Pentonville, at the age of 27. His execution was conducted by Albert Pierrepoint.
Schurch was the only British soldier executed for treachery in World War II. However, Duncan Scott-Ford, a merchant seaman, was also hanged for treachery, and Captain Patrick Stanley Vaughan Heenan of the British Indian Army was convicted of espionage, and shot by a guard.
Civilians William Joyce and John Amery were executed for treason, a different offence.
[edit] References
- ^ Graham Macklin (2007). Very deeply dyed in black: Sir Oswald Mosley and the resurrection of British fascism after 1945. International Library of Political Studies. 14. I.B.Tauris. p. 34. ISBN 1845112849.
- Norman Davies (2008). Europe at War 1939-1945: No Simple Victory. Pan Macmillan. p. 234. ISBN 0330472291.
- 1918 births
- 1946 deaths
- 1945 crimes
- People from Hammersmith
- Royal Army Service Corps soldiers
- British Army personnel of World War II
- People executed by hanging
- 20th-century executions by the United Kingdom
- Executed British people
- British Nazi collaborators
- Swiss Nazi collaborators
- People executed by the British military
- People executed for treason against the United Kingdom
- Executed Nazi collaborators
