| Theodore Schurch |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT THEODORE SCHURCH | |
| 1918 births | |
| 1946 deaths | |
| british army soldiers | |
| british military personnel of world war ii | |
| people executed by hanging | |
| 20th century executions by the united kingdom | |
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Schurch's father was Swiss but living in London when he was born at Queen Charlotte’s Hospital. During his late teens he was a member of the British Union Of Fascists . On July 8 , 1936 , Schurch enlisted in the British army as a Royal 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 POW to gain the trust of fellow Allied prisoners, including Colonel Sir David Stirling , founder of the Special Air Service . 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 counts of treachery under the section one of the Treachery Act 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. Theodore Schurch was hanged on Friday, 4 January 1946 , the day after the execution of Joyce. His hanging took place at HM Prison Pentonville , and was conducted by Albert Pierrepoint . |
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