Churchill Guard of Honour 1919, detail query

This is a detail from a photo I bought recently which shows the army of occupation guard of honour outside Cologne cathedral in Sep 1919 awaiting inspection by Winston Churchill.

I was drawn to the group of soldiers sat on the steps of the cathedral with a placard that appears to say "To No 3 Army Cinema Germania Thea(tre?) Hoh (?) est (rasse?)"

Any info welcome!

 

I think the last line starts "Homestr..."

 

I was wondering whether Germania Theatre, if that was it, was in Hohe Strasse but that is obviously wrong if first 3 letter are HOM.

And the main Germania Theatre reference I have found so far is one in New York.

 

I took the liberty of cropping the placard and editing in hopes of reading it. I think the first 3 letters are HOH or HON followed by estr...

--- Susan

 

It is Hohestrasse. literally 'high street'

 

Found a panorama pic of a August 1919 review of British troops by General Gouraud (Commander of the French Fourth Army) in Cathedral Square, Cologne - in front of the Cathedral also. You can click the pic to enlarge it slightly.
http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-ca...t=&edoptin=&customgeoip=&cap=1&cbstore=1&vd=0

I'm surprised the inspection was done by Winston Churchill. After Gallipoli he was relieved as 1st Lord of the Admiralty. I guess by 1919 he was back in government under Prime Minister Lloyd George. Okay, just found that starting in January 1919 he was the Secretary of State for Air.

--- Susan

 

Hi Susan,. I have the follow up photos which include Winston inspecting the front row of troops. I think it was an Army Council meeting.

Steve.

 

In the German version of a Wikipedia article about Cologne's Hohe Strasse there is a paragraph about theatres in the city. Using the Google translator I see that there was a theatre called Cinema-Palais at No. 3 Hohe Strasse. There was also a theatre called Germania-Lichtspiele at No. 9 Hohe Strasse. Both were opened in 1909, and apparently were still there 10 years later.

Here is a link to the article in German.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hohe_Straße_(Köln)

Here is the rather stilted and somewhat inaccurate English translation of that one paragraph:
"On the Hohe Strasse there were two important Cologne theaters. Already since 1900 the address book in No. 38 led the Burghof as a restaurant, in which also concerts of all kinds took place. [26] Since 1909 the Varieté Simplicissimus or Simpl Palace in No. 152-154 by Fritz Nördlinger, who also headed Greater Cologne. The first cinema on Hohe Strasse No. 9 was the Kosmos-Lichtspiele, opened in 1906 and equipped with 839 seats. There followed the Tonbild Theater (No. 78, opened in June 1907, closed in 1908), Bismarck Theater (No. 23-25, 1908 as Union Theater opened, renamed 1911), Lux at the Cathedral (No. 131, opened (Open on September 27, 1909, 350 seats, closure in 1986), Cinema Palais (No. 3, opened in 1909), Germania light games (No. 90, 1909 opened, 1925 chamber light games, 370 seats), cinema for everyone No. 132, from 1927 Passage Theater, reopening on May 7, 1954, 694 seats) and the Filmpalast (No. 11-13, opened in 1912, 500 seats). There were twelve venues in Schildergasse and Hohe Strasse in 1930."

Maybe the sign relates to these somehow?

 

Fig, you've nailed it! Well done!

I thought the placard might be a direction sign, and I was playing with the map last night to try to work out the cathedral's entrance relative to Hohe Strasse. It would have been in the right direction, so I guess there would have been an arrow pointing right on the bottom of the sign, the sign already being partially dislodged by the seated soldiers' feet.

So the travelling cinema would have set up in the Germania Theatre in Hohe Strasse for the benefit of Third Army soldiers.

Thank you!!

 

Well, I hope that's it, anyway! Your theory about the arrow seems to make sense.

 

You all never cease to AMAZE me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

That's why my avatar 'mood' has been AMAZED since the beginning.