Lord Haw Haw - Peter Martland

Revealing the true story of Britain's most notorious traitor, this book is based on MI5's extensive files on William Joyce, aka Lord Haw Haw. Joyce was a prominent figure in the British fascist movement before the war. After a split with Oswald Moseley he went to Germany in 1939 to become head of the "English Committee" - a section of Goebbels' Nazi Propaganda Ministry. Joyce's wartime broadcasts to Britain made him a hate figure amongst the public and gave him his nickname "Lord Haw Haw". At the end of the war Joyce was caught by the British Army while trying to escape through Denmark. He was tried for high treason and, following an unsuccessful appeal, hanged on 3rd January 1946.;MI5 had been tracking Joyce's activities since 1924 and created an extensive file on him. This book is based on these papers, recently opened for the first time. It covers Joyce's rise through the British Union of Fascists, Special Branch reports on their meetings, Joyce's split from Moseley and his setting up of a rival faction, the National Socialist League. Other papers include a booklet written by Joyce titled "Fascism and Jewry", statements from various associates of Joyce, and documents from the FBI. From the wartime period there are captured German documents including his Iron Cross Certificate signed by Hitler, and his personal diary from 1945 which gives observations on the collapse of the Third Reich and his own personal habits.;This collection is contextualised by an extended expert introduction and document commentary.