Comments on: The Execution of Lord Haw Haw at Wandsworth Prison in 1946

By: John Page

John Page — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 13:23:13 +0000

An excellent read and a truly fascinating blog – so glad Stephen Fry pointed us to your blog today.

By: Wolstan Dixie

Wolstan Dixie — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 12:14:00 +0000

Isn’t that a rather sophisticated microphone compared to the huge blocks suspended on springs that the BBC were using – it looks almost modern.

By: Richard Byrne

Richard Byrne — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:36:34 +0000

1. Kevin Mills may well be right. The Royal Patriotic is straight across the road from HMP Wandsworth, and was used as a clearing-house for suspected spies (mainly among refugees from mainland Europe). If identified as a spy, it was an easy matter to take a captive across the road.

2. As for the Wandsworth gallows – I worked in Wandsworth in the 1980s, and it was generally known that one of the jobs of the prison engineers was to test the drop every six months.

Nobody expected it ever to be used again – I suppose somebody just wanted to avoid the bureaucratic embarrassment of finding that it didn’t actually work any more.

By: Kevin Mills

Kevin Mills — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:14:52 +0000

What a find. Well researched and illustrated. This is my new favourite blog.

Incidentally, I believe Joyce was first taken to The Royal Patriotic Building in Wandsworth, where my wife and I later – much later – held our wedding reception.

Hang on, that might have been Rudolph Hess. As you were.

By: DANIEL DOCHERTY

DANIEL DOCHERTY — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:39:08 +0000

WILLIAM JOYCE WAS A MAN WHO WAS LIGHT YEARS AHEAD OF HIS TIME WE NEED SOMEONE LIKE HIM TO TAKE CHARGE OF THIS COUNTRY TODAY.

By: ekphrastic

ekphrastic — Sat, 08 May 2010 16:37:23 +0000

Being of advanced years I remember as a child my parents and grandparents sitting around our old Coster- Brand ? radio listening to Haw-Haw’s broadcasts. And I remember as you say, people wanted to listen, and to a certain extent thought him worth listening to. For the most part I believe, with his upmarket accent he was thought of more as a joke than a traitor. He seemed to be well informed as regards day to day life in England and frequently spoke of the damage caused by air raids. One of which I was lucky to survive when the ceiling of the cellar we were sheltering in started to collapse around us. But did he deserve to hang ? I’m not sure, I think he was more naive and misguided than malicious.

By: Derrill Joyce Chew

Derrill Joyce Chew — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:36:27 +0000

My grandfather’s name was William Joyce, from the N.Y./ New Jersey (USA) area. He was Irish and Catholic. He came to S.C. on a hunting trip (probably early 1900’s). He and my grandmother met, eloped, had a daughter. She lived in New Jersey with him at his parents home, but his family being Catholic – NEVER considered them married – she was a common law wife. When she became pregant with my father, she returned back to S.C. to give birth. William visited her one last time before Dad was born and NEVER again. He simply deserted her. My family has NEVER been able to find out a single thing about this man except that he had other wives and children – never divorced grandmother. The Joyce’s in the N.Y./New Jersey USA area deny ever knowing anyone by that name. Another thing, he was in the US military at some time, but the records were destroyed in a fire. Grandmother kept all the newspaper clippings in a trunk about this William Joyce being a traitor and his execution. She loved him until she died. My father surely looked like him, so did my older brother. My family would LOVE to know if this is our grandfather! Any ideas?

By: claire

claire — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:31:47 +0000

just found your site and i bloody love it! keep up the good work.

By: kauai

kauai — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 03:16:36 +0000

really helped with my project thanks

By: Mike Lock

Mike Lock — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 19:51:21 +0000

I think the death penalty should be brought back for crimes like, Murder, Paedophilia and Rape. Today we have an excellent proof of a crime through DNA tests, thus making it virtually impossible to execute an innocent person. Hanging need not these days be the method, all that is needed is a lethal injection as is done in the US, like I beleive in Florida.