- Theodore Schurch
Infobox Military Person
name = Theodore William John Schurch
caption =
born = birth date|1918|05|05
died = death date and age|1946|01|04|1918|05|05
placeofbirth=Queen Charlotte's Hospital ,London ,England
placeofdeath= HM Prison Pentonville,London ,England
nickname =
allegiance = Germany, Italy, England
branch =Royal Army Service Corps
serviceyears=
rank =
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commands =
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laterwork =Theodore William John Schurch (
May 5 ,1918 -January 4 ,1946 ) was an Anglo-Swiss soldier who was the last person to be executed for an offence other than murder in Britain.Schurch's father was Swiss but living in
London when he was born atQueen Charlotte's Hospital . During his late teens he was a member of theBritish Union of Fascists . OnJuly 8 ,1936 , Schurch enlisted in theBritish Army as aRoyal Army Service Corps driver.In June 1942 Schurch 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 prisoner-of-war to gain the trust of fellow
Allied prisoners, including Colonel SirDavid Stirling , founder of theSpecial Air Service .Schurch was arrested in Rome in March 1945 and tried by Major Melford Stevenson in a
court martial convened at theDuke of York's Headquarters inChelsea, London in September 1945. He was found guilty of all ten charges against him: nine counts of treachery under section one of theTreachery Act 1940 , and one charge of desertion.Theodore Schurch was hanged on
January 4 ,1946 at the age of 27. His hanging took place at HM Prison Pentonville, and was conducted byAlbert Pierrepoint . Schurch was the only British soldier executed for treachery in the Second World War.In contrast to Schurch,
William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw ) andJohn Amery were executed fortreason .
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