Falls Resident's First Book is a Rare Glimpse at Europe in 1938

In August 1938, Adolf Hitler had already annexed Austria and had his sites set on Czechoslovakia. With hindsight and the annals of history now as our guide, we know this brief time period was a crucial turning point before diplomacy eroded and nations were hurled into World War II.

Looking back, that probably wasn't the ideal time to tour Europe. But for Helen McPhail, that month and year marked the beginning of a seven-week journey through Europe, which was filled with misadventures and ominous signs of the war that was to come.

Fortunately for us, McPhail documented her daily experiences through nine countries at that pivotal time in history. Now, more than 70 years later, we can get a glimpse at what she saw.

Longtime Menomonee Falls resident Kathleen Reed recently published her first book entitled “Touring 1938 Europe Unawares,” which is a memoir taken from the pages of McPhail’s journals.

Reed is the niece of McPhail, and inherited the journals from her aunt in 1992. She typed up her aunt’s journals years ago, but it wasn’t until last year that she published the book.

Reed has lived in Menomonee Falls since 1964, and is a web designer for local nonprofits like , Falls Fest and Friends of the Library. She has also booked the acts for series for the past decade.

Her aunt’s memoir is a rare firsthand glimpse at European society as the waters of war were brought to a boil. Her memoirs also include accounts of her time on the historic SS Normandie and RMS Queen Mary. Reed said a little romance also surfaces through her journals.

“After writing this book, I gained a picture of very outgoing young woman who would talk to anyone and everybody,” Reed said. “She also had a lot of courage and held things together no matter the situation she may have found herself in.”

McPhail indeed found herself in many situations that World War II buffs may appreciate. She experienced a “black night” in Austria, attended a Nazi rally after getting an invite from a soldier she met, and she also listened as soldiers marched through the streets in formation just outside her lodgings. However, she also documents lighter adventures inclduding dog sledding in the Alps, because, after all, she was on vacation.

The book has a chilling theme overriding it throughout as the nations preparing for war are juxtaposed with a traveler who is unaware of the conflict the world would soon enter. In one entry, she describes a sunny morning while passing by storefronts selling gas masks and displaying German propaganda.

In fact, when McPhail arrived in Nuremburg, Germany her lodging reservations had been cancelled. That’s because she arrived in Nuremburg on the eve of the annual Nazi rally, and the rooms were reserved for participants in that.

McPhail also found it difficult to return home. Just as she was leaving, Hitler had signed the Munich Agreement. She was set to leave from France, but the taxis had all been commandeered for military use. It was just one of many misadventures McPhail documented as she traveled Europe unawares.

Reed will promote her book at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 10 at the . Her book is available online on both the Kindle and in paperback.