Behind the Bastards

Part One: Lord Haw-Haw: Hitler's Favorite Anglo Propagandist

December 16, 2025

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  • This episode of Behind the Bastards is a 'reverse' format where guest host Pádraig O Ruairc presents the research on the bastard, William Joyce, who is identified as Lord Haw-Haw. 
  • William Joyce's early life was marked by conflicting Irish/English heritage, Catholic/Protestant tension, and a deep, mother-influenced desire to be British, which fueled his later political extremism. 
  • Joyce's early political radicalization involved actively assisting British forces (RIC and Black and Tans) against Irish Republicans in Galway during the War of Independence, leading the IRA to sanction his execution before he escaped to England. 

Segments

Podcast Format and Guest Introduction
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(00:00:05)
  • Key Takeaway: This episode of Behind the Bastards is a ‘reverse’ format featuring guest host Pádraig O Ruairc.
  • Summary: The episode deviates from the norm where Robert usually researches the subject; this week, the guest host, Pádraig O Ruairc, researched and wrote the story. O Ruairc is known to listeners of the podcast ‘It Could Happen Here.’ The initial plan was to cover Prince Andrew, but this was changed for safety reasons.
William Joyce’s Identity
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(00:02:58)
  • Key Takeaway: Robert’s prior knowledge of William Joyce is limited to his role as Lord Haw-Haw, a pro-fascist radio star equivalent to a Japanese counterpart.
  • Summary: William Joyce is better known by his moniker, Lord Haw-Haw, to Americans. Robert first read about him in a fifth or sixth-grade WWII history book. Joyce was known for broadcasting demoralizing messages to Allied soldiers, similar to a female propagandist based in Tokyo.
Joyce’s Parents and Birth Mystery
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(00:06:07)
  • Key Takeaway: William Joyce’s birth details are uncertain, but his father, Michael Joyce, was a wealthy Irish immigrant who established a successful construction company in Brooklyn.
  • Summary: Joyce’s parents were Michael Joyce from Mayo, Ireland, and Gertrude Brooke (‘Queenie’), an Englishwoman; their marriage was controversial due to religious and national differences. Biographies suggest Joyce may have been born out of wedlock two years before their 1905 wedding. Michael Joyce’s business failed after he threw a drunk customer out of his Irish pub, leading to the customer’s death from hypothermia.
Childhood Indoctrination and Trauma
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(00:11:23)
  • Key Takeaway: Joyce was heavily indoctrinated with British imperialist ideology in Catholic schools that actively suppressed Gaelic culture.
  • Summary: Joyce hated everything Irish, desiring only to be British, a sentiment reinforced by his doting mother. He was a precocious but lonely child who once brought a stolen gun to school to gain popularity. Catholic schools in Ireland promoted British identity, forcing children to recite poems thanking God for making them ‘a happy English child’ and celebrating Empire Day.
Political Awakening and IRA Conflict
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(00:18:14)
  • Key Takeaway: Joyce became a staunch British loyalist, viewing the 1916 Rising and the Bolshevik Revolution as part of a Jewish-Irish-German plot, leading him to actively aid British forces in Galway.
  • Summary: Joyce’s political focus shifted after a priest condemned his Protestant mother to eternal hell, causing him to reject his schooling. He cheered the British Black and Tans and Auxiliaries (Ogsies), volunteering as an identifier to point out IRA sympathizers, despite being seen as an embarrassment by some RIC members. The Ogsies, an elite unit of ex-officers, were known for extreme violence, including the murder of Eileen Quinn.
Escape from Ireland and Early Fascism
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(00:39:54)
  • Key Takeaway: Captain Keating, a British Army Intelligence officer, saved Joyce from certain IRA assassination by arranging his transfer to England just as the Irish War of Independence concluded.
  • Summary: After the 1921 ceasefire, the IRA knew Joyce was a British agent, but could not act due to ongoing peace talks, prompting Joyce to openly taunt leaders like Michael Staines. Once the British evacuated, Joyce was saved by Keating, who enlisted him in the Worcester Regiment. After being discharged from the army, Joyce joined the British Fascisti in 1923, where he received a prominent facial scar from an anti-fascist protester, whom he falsely claimed was a Jewish communist.