William Joyce, who was better known as
Lord Haw Haw, a nickname by which he was known to
British listeners was a
World War Two German propaganda radio broadcaster.
Joyce was born in Brooklyn, New York on 24 April 1906, to his English mother Gertrude Emily, and Irish-American father, Michael. Three years after their sons birth, the young family moved to Ireland, and then in 1921, then on to England.
In 1922, Joyce started a course studying Science at Battersea Polytechnic, before changing to English Language, Literature with history course at Birbeck College. He graduated in 1927, and in the same year married his fiancee, Hazel Kathleen Barr, at Chelsea Registry office.
He continued his education through the Thirties, studying a one year post-graduate course in Philology, and between 1931 and 1933, a psychology course at King's College. It was at about this time Joyce became involved with Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists, which were often involved in running battles with the police.His first marriage collapsed in 1936, and shortly after married Margaret Cairns White, who became known later on as Lady Haw Haw.
On the 26 August 1939, just before war broke out Willaim and Margaret Joyce fled to Germany. He was quickly recruited to Joseph Goebbels Ministry of Propaganda, and started his broadcasts on the 18th of September, 1939. He aquired the Lord Haw Haw nickname after an article was run in the Daily Express, in which the writer stated that "A gent I'd like to meet is moaning periodically from Zeesen {the site in Germany of the English transmitter}. He speaks English of the 'haw-haw, damit-get-out-of-my-way' variety, and his strong suit is gentlemanly indignation."
Joyce was captured on the Danish border, shortly after the fall of Berlin on the night of April 30th 1945, during which he was still broadcasting to the world, and after recuperating in Lueneberg Military Hospital, he was shipped back to the UK to stand trial for high treason.
On 17 September at the Old Bailey, Joyce was charged, with the following offences:
1. William Joyce, on the 18 September 1939, and on numerous other days between 18 September 1939 and 29 May 1945 did aid and assist the enemies of the King by broadcasting to the King's subjects propaganda on behalf of the King's enemies.
2. William Joyce, on 26 September 1940, did aid and comfort the King's enemies by purporting to be naturalised as a German citizen.
3. William Joyce, on 18 September 1939 and on numerous other days between 18 September 1939 and 2 July 1940 did aid and assist the enemies of the King by broadcasting to the King's subjects propaganda on behalf of the King's enemies.
During his subsequent trial, Joyce admitted the allegations, but refused to accept he had a duty of allegence to King George as he claimed
American citizenship. This argument was overthrown in court, when the
prosecution noted that his mother was
English, a letter written by his father, Micheal Joyce, to the immigration services claimed that the family 'are all British, not American citizens', and the fact that William Joyce held a British passport from 1934, as evidence, the court and ultimately on
appeal, the
House of Lords ruled that he actually had
dual nationality. He was found guilty of treason and hanged outside
Wandsworth Prison in
London, on January 3, 1946.
Sources include:
www.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/europe/UK/11/09/london.hawhaw/
www.ibiscom.com/vohawhaw.htm
www.btinternet.com/~stephen.stratford/william_joyce.htm