´óÏó´«Ã½

This story is written by Douglas Welsford of North East Wales.

How many of those in World War 2 can say that they served in the same unit and even had a close relationship with an enemy spy? The spy I am referring to was Driver T Schurch of the Royal Army Service Corps who served in the same unit as myself in the Middle East. My connection with Schurch started prior to the War in 1937 when we were both on the chartered troop ship the TSS California taking reinforcements to the mandated territory of Palestine. The RASC contingent was drawn from units from all over the British Isles and therefore at this time I knew very little of Schurch. On arrival in Haifa I was posted to 14 Company RASC at the British Base in Sarafand. Schurch was posted to the unit’s detachment in Jerusalem.

I first got to know Schurch really well when I was sent on detachment to Jerusalem to 68 Company RASC which had been formed from the old 14 Company Detachment. His real name as we knew him at that time was Theodore Isodore Schurch but he went by the nickname of Issy. He was of Swiss extraction and we often wondered how he came to be enlisted into the British Army. He was likeable and popular member of the unit and was employed on the petrol point. I remember that he was always free with his money, if one was short of cash during the week, Issy was always good for a loan. We did wonder, knowing that he was on the same rates of pay as us, how he always had money to spare? Perhaps he had rich parents, but our secret thoughts were that he was flogging petrol. The true explanation could be that unknown to us at the time; he was getting the money from his espionage activities. Living in the same barrack room and going out together in our off duty time I got to know Issy well but never for one moment thought he was a spy.

The next time I came in contact with Issy was in 1941 when as a corporal I was seconded to a small specialist unit in the military base at Sarafand. Issy was employed as a clerk. An interesting point at this time, was that our unit because of the shortage of military transport was contracting civilian vehicles and the contractors name was HOMSI. This was the Arab who at this time Schurch did all his spy reporting, so unwittingly the Army had given Spy and foreign agent unlimited access to each other. That same year I accompanied my unit when it moved from Palestine to the Western Desert to become part of Eighth Army.

In 1942 just before the fall of Tobruk and whilst located in the desert south of Tobruk we were visited by Issy. He was alone and appeared out of the blue driving a 3-ton vehicle. He was only in the camp a short while but all the time with his inimitable brand of humour, which he was noted for, kept the conversation flowing. It was late afternoon after refusing all entreaties to stay the night that he drove out of the camp. At his subsequent Court Martial in 1945, it came out that part of his espionage activities after crossing over to the enemy was that he was sent back to the British side to gather information. A further point was that after the war I heard from another member of the unit that after he was captured, that Issy was one of the German interrogating team.

Schurch, of Swiss parents was born in London. In his teens he joined the Fascist party who later recruited him into their intelligent branch. In 1036 he was ordered to join the Army and to apply for a Middle East posting. In Jerusalem he passed on information of the movements of General Wavell and other senior officers of The Headquarters Palestine Command. He later applied for a posting to Egypt and there he was able to cross over to the enemy and be active under Italian Intelligence.

Despite Schurch’s being a traitor I continue to remember the Issy I knew in those far off days as being a likeable and popular member of our unit. He had an effervescent jovial personality which would have aided him in his spying activities. However, I think he was a misguided teenager who was groomed and manipulated by his fascist masters. He eventually paid the penalty by being tried by General Court Martial on the 12 September 1944 on the charges of espionage and desertion. He was sentenced to death by hanging, this being executed at Pentoncille Prison on the 4 January 1946.

A complete record of the Court Martial of Schurch, the statements of witnesses and his own statement can be found on the Internet — Stephen’s Study Room Theodore Schurch.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.