Background and Nazi Collaboration
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.
The Old Bailey Treason Trial
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.
Execution at Wandsworth Prison
His appeal was dismissed on the 1st of November 1945 and he was hanged at Wandsworth Prison 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”.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was “Lord Haw-Haw”?
“Lord Haw-Haw” was a nickname coined by British radio critic Jonah Barrington to describe the sneering, upper-class tone of Nazi propaganda broadcasters transmitting English-language programmes like Germany Calling. Although originally applied to broadcaster Wolf Mittler, the moniker became permanently identified with William Joyce.
Why was an American citizen convicted of British treason?
Joyce was born in the United States to an Irish father and English mother. However, he obtained a British passport by falsely claiming British birth. The courts ruled that by possessing and renewing a British passport, he had claimed the protection of the British Crown and therefore owed allegiance to it until the passport expired in July 1940, making his wartime broadcasts acts of high treason.
Was William Joyce the last person executed for treason in the UK?
Yes. William Joyce was the last person executed for high treason under the Treason Act 1351 in the United Kingdom. (The last person executed for treachery under the Treachery Act 1940 was Theodore Schurch, hanged the following day at Pentonville Prison).
Where was William Joyce buried?
Joyce was initially buried in an unmarked grave within the walls of Wandsworth Prison. In 1976, his remains were exhumed and re-interred in the New Cemetery in Galway, Ireland.
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