Theodore Schurch

Theodore William John Schurch was of Swiss extraction but born at Queen Charlotte?s Hospital in London on 5th May 1918.

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On 8th July 1936, Schurch joined the British army as a Royal Army Service Corps driver. He was involved with the British fascist movement.

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In June 1942 he was captured by the Germans in Tobruk and began a career working for both Italian and German intelligence. Often he would pose as a captured POW to gain the trust of fellow Allied prisioners, including Colonel Sir David Stirling (1915-1990), founder of the Special Air Service.

Related Topics:
Tobruk - POW - Allied - David Stirling - Special Air Service

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Schurch was arrested in Rome in March 1945 and tried by a Court Martial convened at the Duke of York's Headquarters in Chelsea London in September 1945. He was found guilty of 9 capital counts of treachery under the Section one of the Treachery Act of 1940, and one charge of desertion. In contrast to Schurch, William Joyce (Lord Haw Haw) and John Amery were executed for treason. Schurch was the only British soldier executed for treachery in the Second World War.

Related Topics:
Court Martial - Chelsea - Treachery Act of 1940 - William Joyce - Lord Haw Haw - John Amery

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Theodore Schurch was hanged on Friday, 4th January 1946, the day after the execution of Lord Haw Haw. He was the last person in the United Kingdom to be executed for an offence other than murder. He was executed at HM Prison Pentonville by Albert Pierrepoint.

Related Topics:
Lord Haw Haw - United Kingdom - HM Prison - Pentonville - Albert Pierrepoint

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