21-year-old Duncan Alexander Croall Scott-Ford became the youngest person to be executed under the Treachery Act 1940, when he was hanged at Wandsworth Prison on the morning of Tuesday, 3 November 1942.
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Early Naval Career
At age 16, Scott-Ford joined the Royal Navy and served until 1941, when he was court-martialed and sentenced to two years in prison followed by a dishonourable discharge for dishonesty. This sentence was later reduced to six months, along with an honourable discharge.
Upon his release from Winchester Prison in late 1941, he joined the merchant navy.
Contact with German Agents
In February 1942, he joined the crew of the SS Finland, which made regular trips between the UK and Portugal (then a neutral country), and sailed on 11 April bound for Lisbon.
There, he was approached by German agents offering substantial rewards for information on British ship movements. He was able to provide some information, but the agents soon realised he was not much of a catch. They threatened to report him to the British Embassy in Lisbon if he didn’t give them what they wanted.
In the end, 18,000 escudos (about £18) was all he received for his treachery.
Arrest and Charges
On his return to Salford Docks on 18 August 1942, Scott-Ford was questioned by security police and later arrested under the Defence Regulations Act of 1939. Inside his wallet were slips of paper recording ship movements, detailing the names of ships and their escorts in the convoy, along with their speed and course.
On 1 September 1942, he was charged under Section 1 of the Treachery Act 1940:
“On the British ship SS Finland, with intent to help the enemy, did an act between 7–9 August 1942, that is, he did record information relating to the movements and composition of a convoy.”
Trial and Execution
Scott-Ford was tried in camera at the Old Bailey before Mr. Justice Birkett on 16 October 1942.
Sub-Lieutenant Wilfred Wood, RNVR, from the Intelligence Division, Admiralty, testified that the information collected by Scott-Ford would prove extremely useful to the enemy. He was convicted and did not appeal.
He was hanged by Albert Pierrepoint, assisted by Harry Kirk, at Wandsworth at 9:00 a.m. Scott-Ford stood 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 132 pounds. Pierrepoint gave him a drop of 8 feet 5 inches, leading to fracture-dislocation of the 4th and 5th cervical vertebrae.
Aftermath
The case was reported only after the execution, due to its sensitive nature during wartime.
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