Joyce, William (1906-1946), made propaganda radio broadcasts from Germany during World War II (1939-1945). The broadcasts, which were in English, were designed to undermine the morale of the Allies. Joyce’s speaking style in these broadcasts earned him the nickname “Lord Haw-Haw.”
William Joyce was born on April 24, 1906, in Brooklyn, New York, of Irish parents. He spent his childhood in Ireland. In 1922, his family moved to England. In 1933, he joined Sir Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists but was expelled from the organization four years later. He became a cofounder of the National Socialist League. Joyce obtained a British passport in 1938 by falsely claiming that he had been born in Galway, Ireland. In August 1939, a month before the outbreak of war, Joyce had the passport renewed and traveled to Germany, where he offered his services to the Nazi propaganda ministry run by Joseph Goebbels.
Joyce made broadcasts to England from Hamburg throughout the war. The broadcasts always began with the phrase “Germany calling. Germany calling.” Joyce made his last broadcast in April 1945. A month later, he was captured by British forces at Flensburg and taken to the United Kingdom to be tried for treason. Joyce’s defense was that he had never been a British subject, but as the holder of a British passport valid from August 1939 until July 1940, he was judged to have owed allegiance to the British Crown. He was convicted of treason and executed on Jan. 3, 1946.
See also World War II (Propaganda) .
