During the Second World War, all countries utilised spies and espionage to try and get
the upper hand over their enemies. Some spies turned against their countries of origin to
work for the enemy, and one of these was John Amery. There were a number in Britain who
defected over to the side of the Nazi Germans, one of the most prominent of these traitors
was William Joyce, who was commonly known as Lord Haw Haw. John Amery went further than
just broadcasting propaganda for Germany aimed at demoralising the British, he actively wished
for a British unit fighting for the National Socialist causes against communism. So join
us today as we look at ‘The Vengeful Execution Of John Amery, The Bravest Traitor.’ Remember
to support our channel, please make sure to subscribe.
John Amery was born in Chelsea in London, and his father was a member of Parliament
and later a conservative minister, and his mother was a Hungarian Jew. As a child he
was rather poorly behaved, going through a number of different tutors and he was sent
to harrow boarding school, however after a year he left being described as the most difficult
boy the housemaster had tried to manage. He dreamed of a career in film production, and
eventually set up a number of failing companies which led to his bankruptcy.
His early life was somewhat of a failure, and at the age of 21 John Amery married a
former prostitute called Una Wing. He however could never earn as much money to keep her
from the streets, and he always begged his dad for money. During this time period he
was virulently anti communist, and he became attracted to the National Socialist way of
life, and the policies that Hitler was trying to establish across Germany. In 1936, he left
Britain to go and live in France after being made bankrupt, and he met with French facscist
leaders. He then visited other countries including Germany to see how Facsism had gripped the
nation. Amery told his family that during the Spanish Civil War he joined Franco’s
Nationalists and was awarded a medal of honour as he served in intelligence.
Following the Spanish War he was returned to France and stayed here even during the
German invasion of the country in June 1940. Very quickly the country fell under Nazi occupation,
and there’s very famous images of Hitler strolling around Paris admiring the city he
had claimed. Amery was given an offer to go and work in Germany in politics, however there
was difficulty getting him out of France.
In September 1942, Amery was given a travel permit and he then went to Berlin, and during
a meeting he proposed creating a British anti-Bolshevik group that would operate in Nazi Germany.
Hitler himself was rather pleased with this and Amery’s devotion, and he allowed him
to reside in Germany. He then worked to produce a number of pro-German propaganda broadcasts,
and even spoke to the British people to join the Nazi cause against communism. These broadcasts
were attempted to break the British morale, however overall they had little impact.
Amery then joined the LVF a group that volunteered to fight alongside the Germans on the Eastern
Front, this was made up of French soldiers, and Amery dreamed of leading a British unit
aimed to recruit dozens of men to fight for propaganda purposes. The British Free Corp
was his idea, and at first the first recruits came from a group of POWs, and recruiting
for the group was done in POW camps. Leaflets were handed out, and research has emerged
that 54 men belonged to the unit, but at one point the British Free Corps became no more
than 27 men strong.
Up until later 1944, John Amery wrote propaganda broadcasts in Berlin but the war was greatly
turning against the Germans and Hitler. He offered support to Mussolini, however as the
Second World War was in dire straights for Germany, Amery was captured. At the end of
April 1945 he was captured by Italian Partisans near to Como along with his mistress, Michelle
Thomas. They were both planned to be executed however this was then commuted before they
were sent to Milan and handed over to the British.
Arriving back in England, Amery was sent to Bow Street Magistrates Court on the 9th July
1945, and he was charged with 8 counts of high treason. He was sent back to prison to
await a huge trial at the Old Bailey. During his trial, he stated that he had never personally
attacked Britain saying he was not a Nazi, but more was anti-communist which did not
ally him as a Nazi. There were attempts to prove that he was in fact a Spanish citizen
and therefore could not commit treason against Britain, and attempts were also made to make
him seem mentally ill. This ultimately failed, however little needed to be done as surprisingly
on the first day of the trial Amery decided to plead guilty for all 8 of the charges.
In a remarkable and shocking turn of events, his trial only lasted 8 minutes against all
odds.
The judge in question confirmed to Amery what it meant, that if he admitted guilt there
would only be one outcome, his death. Amery understood fully, and it was stated ‘John
Amery, I am satisfied that you knew who you did and that you did it intentionally and
deliberately after you had received warning from… your fellow countrymen that the course
you were pursuing amounted to high treason. They called you a traitor and you heard them,
but in spite of that you continued in that course. You now stand a self-confessed traitor
to your king and country, and you have forfeited your right to live.’
A petition was launched that Amery should be reprieved, and there were claims that he
was already dying of Tuberculosis, however this was proven incorrect during his postmortem.
He requested that four photographs he held should be passed onto his brother after his
execution, and during his time in Wandsworth inside a condemned cell he smoked heavily,
going through his 15 cigarette allowance a day easily.
It was Albert Pierrepoint and his assistant HE Critchell who carried out the execution
of John Amery. He later was described by Pierrepoint as the bravest man he ever had to execute.
Pierrepoint and his assistant met with Amery before the day of his execution and during
this they calculated his height and weight, along with the drop required to take his life
instantly. His height was recorded at 5 feet 7 inches, and his weight 140 pounds and he
was of muscular build.
The day of his execution was the 19th December 1945 to take place at Wandsworth Prison. An
execution cell inside Wandsworth had been used many times over the years and the gallows
here were frequently used to executed murderers and other serious criminals. Shortly before
9am, Amery was brought from his cell by two guards before the formal identification process
took place. John emery was then led up the steps of the gallows and on the platform was
Pierrepoint and his assistant.
Amery extended his hand to shake Pierrepoint, and said ‘I have always wanted to meet you
Mr Pierrepoint, but under rather different circumstances.’ At this point, the executioner
smiled and shook is hand before spinning Amery round gently and securing his arms behind
his back. He then placed the noose and a hood over his head, and within seconds Amery was
killed, plummeting to his death through the trapdoor down below. The drop of 7 feet and
8 inches was enough to kill him.
He was the son of a rather prominent politician, however John Amery’s death is one which
can be interpreted as being rather troublesome. There is in no doubt that he went against
the British, deserting his country to go and support the enemy the Nazis, and also produce
propaganda for them. However he did not take the lives of anyone during the Second World
War like so many of the war criminals who were executed following the conflict did.
Amery’s dramatic death came at 9:01am on December 19th 1945, and he died a traitor
who bravely decided to admit his wrongs, despite knowing exactly what came before him. He was
a man who had minimal effect on anything during the conflict, but was a man Hitler respected,
a scary yet proud thing that John Amery treasured.
Once again thanks for watching.
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Once again thanks for watching.