Kathleen Reed: How I Saw Hitler on My Summer Vacation

Date: August 6, 1938

Place: On Board the Normandie

Weather: Foggy — warmer.

Before the sun came up this morning, we awoke suddenly when the ship seemed to lurch to a stop! Frightened to death, we rushed out into the hallway and heard a man say that ships naturally slow down for foggy conditions. It was difficult to calm down, so we slept in, and enjoyed breakfast in bed. We had stayed up until 2:00 a.m. this morning. What hours one keeps on a ship! To work up an appetite, we went swimming before lunch. Our attempt to play a little shuffleboard, ended in frustration and waves of laughter. I could not even make the markers (or whatever you call them) go all the way! We will leave that sport to someone else.

Oh, by the way, the Purser is getting so he recognizes me. This afternoon he smiled and nicely said “Good Morning!” However, it is his assistant, a handsome looking brute, who causes my heart to flutter. “Test Pilot” was the afternoon movie today. Tonight we attended a party and OH! What a party! The chefs prepared an extra-special dinner with an exquisitely decorated cake. This delightful meal was followed by entertainment and dancing in the salon. It was a crazy swell time and everyone was rip-roaring. Hy and Bernie are becoming irrepressible. We were with them most of the evening, although we danced with others as well.

Date: August 7, 1938

Place: On Board the Normandie

Weather: Coolish.

After arising at 8 a.m., I dashed off a letter before breakfast. I suspect that many passengers were resting up from the big party last evening, as there were very few people eating breakfast. Since it was quite early, I settled down amongst the orchids in the tranquil conservatory, and wrote my letters to the tune of warbling birds. I strolled into first class to find the chapel, and attended a church service at 11:00 a.m. The sermon was lovely however the minister seemed a bit too informal for such a breathtaking setting. After rooting Margy out of bed, we spent the remainder of the day lounging on the deck, attending movies, and packing. We engaged in a frenzy of picture taking, as we will be leaving the SS Normandie before too long.

Because tonight is our last night on the ship, we were told to have our suitcases packed and ready to be removed from the cabin by 6 p.m. All we could keep to ourselves was one small bag. I asked the Purser (he actually called me by name) and his bee-oo-ti-ful assistant to sign their autographs on this diary. My heart still has not returned to normal. We had another grand dinner tonight — our last dinner on the Normandie. It is early to bed tonight and up early in the morning, for the sunrise and debarkation at Southampton, England. Whoopee!

Date: August 8, 1938

Place: London, England

Weather: Grand!

It will be difficult to squeeze all the details of this day into the diary. Nearly everyone was roused out of bed at some unearthly hour this morning but our kind steward let us sleep until 6:00 a.m. The Normandie docked at Southampton so early that we did not get out on deck in time to see the approaching shoreline. The landing was perfect, with grand sunlight and beautiful clouds! This was not the customary weather, according to one Englishman. After a hurried dressing and last-minute packing, we dashed off to our final breakfast on the Normandie. Our fellow passengers looked so different in their landing clothes. The stewards were all on deck to wish us a lovely trip. We gave them their tips, took some last minute pictures, and said our fond good-byes.

The RMS Queen Mary actually docks at this location however the SS Normandie, being a French Ship, places departing passengers on a tender that takes them to shore. After a brief wait, we embarked on the tender (Grove Field) for the two-hour trip to Southampton. Since there was time to spare, we were given a sightseeing tour near the Isle of Wight and into the harbor. We passed by the castle where Queen Victoria formerly lived. Her 90-year-old sister, Louise, resides there now and is honorary governor of the island.

After having our passports carefully examined, we were happily reunited with our bags. Everyone was so pleasant and patient with us. I brought along eight packs of cigarettes to use as a little thank-you to folks like these, who were so helpful. A travel agent met us at Southampton, and directed us to the boat train. We sat in the cutest little compartment amongst other passengers from the Normandie, including Hy and Bernie. By this time we were all dopey and hungry, but the views of the countryside kept us conscious. As the train whizzed along we were captivated by the thatched roofs and neat gardens. A representative of our tour company met us upon arrival in London. After bidding farewell to Hy and Bernie, accompanied by lots of hugs, we followed our tour operator to a bus, which transported us to the Hotel National.

Our hotel is a native hotel, unlike those that were built specifically for tourists. It is so very native that we had to adjust quickly to the British customs and language differences. The actions of the room maids are one of the most curious sights we have seen yet. They have a manner of bobbing up and down quite humorously, making it difficult for one to keep from giggling! The maids all wear black stockings, and don white hair caps and aprons like those we made while taking sewing class in school. The old elevators creep up and down so slowly that they are furnished with places for people to sit!

Margy and I have separate rooms. My room is most peculiar, with red window shades and atrocious wallpaper. (I shall have nightmares!) There is just enough floor space to turn around. We had lunch at an ABC Store then explored downtown London. We settled on a J. Lyons & Co. teashop for dinner. This was one of several J. Lyons teashops in London, but it still has a quaint atmosphere. We conversed with many people, just to experience and absorb the English way of speaking. After driving folks near us crazy with a million questions about busses and exchanging money, we finally returned to our hotel.

Date: August 9, 1938

Place: London (and vicinity)

Weather: Typical — rained off and on

We awakened early and enjoyed a hotel breakfast of bacon and eggs (after refusing porridge.) Elsie’s advice about taking our umbrellas, whether or not it looked like rain, was most helpful. Out of the beautiful sunny skies, intermittent showers descended throughout the day. Before leaving for the tourist office, we needed to arrange for theater tickets. We looked all over for the deskman, and found him outside, scrubbing the steps. I guess it was too early for him to don his hotel uniform. He seemed a bit huffy, but I think his dignity was a little bruised to have been caught doing such a menial task. We are struggling to sense the proper way to conduct ourselves here in England.

A taxicab took us to the tourist office for our bus ride to Oxford, Warwick, and Stratford. The grand courier on the bus seemed overwhelmed by our numerous questions. He was a very good-natured soul and offered some valuable advice about our upcoming excursions. After a long drive through interesting parts of London, we stopped first at Magdalen College. The Duke of Windsor attended this school. While we were in the chapel, I actually sat down in the Duke’s personal seat — but I still felt the same afterwards! As we proceeded to Oxford, the tour guide pointed out places that dated back as far as the fourteenth century! He confided that in current times, young men seldom attend Oxford for more than one year. They just want to have it on their record that they attended Oxford! Amidst showers of raindrops, we proceeded to the medieval Warwick Castle, perched high on a bluff, overlooking the bend of the River Avon. We then hurried on to Stratford where Shakespeare and Ann Hathaway lived. Both places were surrounded by the loveliest gardens. Even the rain could not hide their beauty. Tomorrow is another big day, so off to bed.