The Trial of Lord Haw-Haw/william Joyce

William Joyce, In Life & Death, 1938-1946.

вЂ?In death, as in life I defy the Jews who caused this last war: and I defy the power of darkness which they represent. I warn the British people against the aggressive imperialism of the Soviet Union. May Britain be great once again; and in the hour of the greatest danger to the West, may the standard of the Hakenkreuz (Broken Cross/Swastika) be raised from the dust, crowned with the historic words “Ihr habt doch gesiegt” (you have conquered nevertheless). I am proud to die for my ideals; and I am sorry for the Son of Britain who have dies not knowing why.’

William Joyce,1946

William Joyce was the voice of the infamous Lord Haw-Haw who broadcast German propaganda to Britain during World War 2. His witty and humorous political and social commentary attracted huge numbers of listeners during the war. In a BBC survey in 1940 it was shown that some 9 million British listeners tuned into his broadcasts or six out of every ten people who listened to the radio. The title “Lord Haw-Haw” was originally conceived by a Jonah Barrington a well known British journalist at the time. Initially there were several contenders to the title all who broadcast for German radio and who spoke in a gentry fashion and it became one of the British publics favourite jokes to guess his identity. Lord Haw Haw made headline in the British press on an almost daily basis, particularly in the first 6months of the war, and entire satirical shows were based around this imagined personality. Joyce’s provocative taunts may have indeed stiffened British resolve rather than lowered morale. As the war began drawing to an end, preparations were being made to bring Joyce to trial. When he was finally caught hiding in the forests of the Danish German border in May 1940 there was a widespread sense of public satisfaction with the sun declaring “we got Haw-Haw”. His subsequent trial and execution is regarded as one of the most controversial British trials of the 20th century.

On the 7th of May 1906 William Joyce was born at 1377 Herkimer Street, Brooklyn, New York. The son of a poor Irish builder and a protestant middle class mother. The family returned to Galway and his father became the landlord of the local RIC barracks. Joyce quickly distinguished himself as quite a scholar with an amazing aptitude for languages. As the Irish war of Independence began Joyce’s father sided with the British. Young William began to work for the British as an informant on IRA activities. As the cease fire was signed the Joyce’s were given an ultimatum by the IRA to leave town. In 1921 Joyce sailed across the Irish sea. Joyce was always drawn to the political front. The British Union of Fascists set up by the brash young politician Sir Oswald Mosley was the English version of this radical new political ethos. Joyce joined in 1933. It was around this time that Joyce was introduced to Maxwell Knight who controlled a section of MI5 (British Intelligence). He recruited Joyce to alert him of any threats to domestic security either right or left wing. Joyce quickly became Mosley’s deputy. For membership to the BUF British nationality was required. Joyce was American by birth and so on a passport application for a trip to Germany he lied declaring himself as a British subject born in Galway. He was not to know it at the time but he had effectively signed his own death warrant. It was also around this time that another division of MI5 to Knight’s began to investigate Joyce as a questionable British subject . War was increasingly looking inevitable between Britain and Germany. Joyce was distraught and blamed the English politicians, Jews and upper-class for the war claiming that the “Anglo Saxon Brothers” should be allies against the true enemy; Communism. Joyce was tipped off by Knight that he was about to be interned so he and his wife Margaret decided to go to Germany. It is likely that Joyce received assistance from Knight in his travel arrangements and his ease at getting past security. There is also speculation that at least initially Joyce was there under some sort of role for MI5 although this has never been confirmed. On the 27th of August 1939 the Joyces arrived in Berlin.

“radio is the most important instrument of mass influence that exists anywhere”

Joseph Goebbels

On the 3rd of September Britain declared war against Germany. The Joyces made contact with a government official who gave Joyce an audition at the German Propaganda Ministry. He impressed and signed a contract. The radio was ran by Joseph Goebbels and was an integral part of the Nazi propaganda machine. The Germans recognised the power of the radio and how it could be used in modern warfare to transmit propaganda. A gifted British speaker like Joyce was perfect and so the Haw-Haw character began. He began with criticism of the British system and the Jews and how unnecessary the war was between the two countries. He described Churchill as a “war mongerer” and the British government as Jewish in purpose. An aspect of Joyces broadcasts which is often ignored and goes some way to explaining his popularity was his social critic of the condition of Britain. Some people cited his knowledge of poverty and his understanding as the reason they liked him. Joyce wrote his own speeches and initially at least attempted to appeal to the British public and gain support for the Germans. Joyce’s broadcasts attempted to convince the British that Churchill was trying to make America their new leader. Williams wife Margaret also had her own show. She was known as Lady Haw-Haw and her broadcasts concentrated on domestic issues affecting women and how there were no shortages in Germany. William Joyce also gave out information on POW’s and the dead which also contributed his listening numbers in Britain as the public were anxious to gain information on their loved ones fighting abroad. As the tide gradually turned against Germany Lord Haw-Haw’s star would also wane. There was too much going on in the war, too much bombing and the joke wasn’t funny anymore. From early 1944 William must have begun to reflect on the possibility that Germany might not win the war his broadcasts became increasingly dominated by the threat of Stalin to post war Europe. He and his wife along with the rest of the radio propaganda broadcaster to the north west