UK Edition
Hitler? He's a 'little chap' like Charlie Chaplin: diary of Girl Guide who met Nazi dictator
A diary in which a British Girl Guide described Adolf Hitler as a Charlie Chaplin lookalike when she met him during a trip to Germany in 1936 has emerged for sale.
The 100 typed pages documenting the youth hostelling excursion to Bavaria three years before the start of the Second World War read like an Enid Blyton adventure book, but with a chilling undercurrent.
The girl, who is not named, described the Nazi dictator as a "little chap" who reminded her of the English comic actor Chaplin, who spoofed Hitler four years later in the film The Great Dictator.
She also noted that he was 'wonderful' with the children and had a fascinating smile.
The diary is titled 'Bavaria and Austria Holiday' and begins on July 24, 1936, after Hitler's fame had reached a peak following the Berlin Olympic Games earlier that summer.
The Girl Guide group stayed in the Bavarian Alps at Berchtesgaden, close to where Hitler had his Eagle's Nest lair, and five days into the trip they met ruler who went on to order the deaths of six million Jews.
The diary begins with the words: "A party of us started from Victoria at 8:20 p.m. We were a very jolly crowd of all ages."
The author, who also collected photos and mementoes of the trip, wrote: "At breakfast we were invited by the Hitler boys and girls to accompany them to see Hitler.
"We were very bucked and said we would. We marched up with the Youth Movement and it took us 2 ½ hours...
"When we arrived at his residence we were all like grease-spots and found that we had four hours to wait.
"However we possessed out souls in patience and waited. At last we entered his drive and then had to wait opposite Hitler for about ¼ hr. whilst the other people passed by.
"He is a little chap - rather like Charlie Chaplin with his toothbrush moustache - with a very fascinating smile.
"With children he is wonderful. He talks to them, accepts their posies and lets them stand by him while the people pass by saluting.
"He only had four Storm Troopers guarding him and it all seemed very informal. When we passed he smiled sweetly and saluted several times.
"One of the journalists nearby took our photographs and told Hitler who we were."
The diary is going under the hammer at the Bridport Auction Rooms in Dorset after it was consigned by a local collector.
Mike Dark, from the saleroom, said: "Sadly we don't know the name of the girl who wrote it or where she was from. It appears those from the group came from across the country.
"It has also been corrected in pencil possibly by a teacher or Guide leader. For example, where the girl writes that Hitler only had four Storm Trooper guards, a pencil addition has been made that states 'and two alsatian dogs'.
"The diary is a jolly account full of their japes and scrapes and of course, their visit to see Hitler.
"They appeared to be quite taken with the dictator even if they did compare him with a professional clown.
"It's interesting to wonder how those girls felt a few years later when that clown began a world war."
The group of 47 youngsters was divided into patrols given colours and the unnamed author states that her patrol called 'Orange' was led by a 'Captain' - Miss Wright.
The girl continued: "We consisted of Captain, her friend Miss Flood, Tubby (Olive Stokes) - so called because of her largeness - Marjorie Fricker, Betty Ainsworth, Ruth Adam and two girls from Wolverhampton and myself."
The detailed account mainly describes the day-to-day events, but also records the sights and the geography.
The trip concludes with a humorous description of a trip to Papa Teuber's Schloss for a campfire and singsong. The girls returned to England on August 8.
The diary is being sold with an estimate of £200-300 on September 30.