If the Mayor of Plymouth today was to give a visiting dignitary a Nazi salute, there would be, quite rightly so, an uproar. However, this wasn't the case in 1937.
I don't believe that anyone has ever written about this incident but there it is in black and white in a story published in the Western Morning News of Wednesday 21st July, 1937 under the headline 'Plymothians Give Nazi Salute' the story reads:
'Plymothians saluted their guests in the correct Nazi style last night, when the Lord Mayor, Ald. W.R. Littleton, gave a supper to the team which represented Germany in the recent International motor cycle trials.
They are guests of the city until they embark for Germany tomorrow morning.
When the toast of the King was accorded musical honours, the German guests raised their right arms and not a few joined in the National Anthem. Englishmen responded gallantly as 'Der Fuhrer' was toasted by giving the Nazi salute during the singing of 'Deutschland Uber Alles.'
Nor did it end here. To the chorus of 'For they are jolly good fellows' and cheers for the visitors, they retaliated with three 'Heils' and the 'Horst Wessel' song.
Speeches in German and English were brief and guests and hosts subsequently grouped around a platform for a German sing-song and an English cabaret.
Toasting the guests, the Lord Mayor voiced his pleasure at entertaining 'a very fine body of German sportsmen,' who, although having been in the city for a few hours, where already welcome and at home in its midst.
English visitors to Germany, he said, spoke in wonderful terms of the hospitality accorded and it was hoped that the team's visit to Plymouth would produce very pleasant memories.'
The Germans were later given a tour of the sights including the Guildhall, St Andrew's Church, Smeaton's Tower, the Barbican and the Elizabethan House in New Street. In the afternoon, they took a boat trip to Cargreen and,disembarking at Tinside, they took a swim in the pool.
Yes, I know that's a picture of Charlie Chaplin - I didn't want to look at the other fella...
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