William Joyce, nicknamed "Lord Haw Haw" because of his posh accent and trademark "Germany calling" at the start of his radio propaganda broadcasts from Germany, held a British passport and as such, this made him guilty of treason for these broadcasts during the war.

39 year old Joyce was actually an American citizen, although he had claimed to be Irish, who had joined the British Fascist Party in 1936, moving to Germany in August 1939, before the outbreak of war. With the fall of Hamburg to the Allies Joyce tried to escape to Denmark but was shot in the leg and captured on the 28th of May 1945.

Joyce held a British passport when war broke out on the 3rd of September 1939 and didn't become a naturalised German citizen until the 26th of September 1940, therefore he was a British subject for over a year during which time he committed treasonous acts against the Crown.

He was tried at the Old Bailey before Mr. Justice Tucker on the 17th to the 19th of September 1945. His defence argued that as an American citizen he owed no allegiance to the Crown and thus was not guilty of treason. The prosecution argument was that as a British passport holder he did owe this allegiance.

The facial scar, clearly visible in photo, was caused on the 22nd of October 1924, while Joyce was stewarding a meeting in support of Conservative Party candidate Jack Lazarus ahead of the 1924 general election, Joyce was attacked by communists and received a deep razor slash across his right cheek.

His appeal was dismissed on the 1st of November 1945 and he was hanged at Wandsworth by Albert Pierrepoint, assisted by Alexander Riley, at 9.00 a.m. on Thursday, the 3rd of January 1946. According to the LPC4 form Joyce weighed 151 lbs. and was given a drop of 7’ 4”, resulting in ”dislocation of the 2nd and 3rd cervical vertebrae with 2” separation at that level”.

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