Everyone had heard of “Lord Haw-Haw” (William Joyce) during the Second World War. Joyce’s daily radio broadcasts from Nazi Germany had made him one of the most reviled men in Britain –a sentiment that was hardly improved by Hitler’s decision to decorate him for his work.
After his capture in 1945, the authorities were keen to set an example of Joyce, trying him, like Roger Casement, under the 1351 Treason Act for “aiding the enemy”. The jury found Joyce guilty in 20 minutes, and he was hanged in Wandsworth Prison in January 1946. He was the last person to be executed for treason in Britain.