Siegburg 1919: Jean Walterscheid survived the war and found his luck privately. He married Gertrud Buchholz from Mülldorf (today part of Sankt Augustin). But how should it go on professionally? The 27-year-old makes a bold decision and takes the step to become self-employed. As a passionate cyclist, he decides to turn sprockets for bicycles. He took over a lathe from his workplace in the meanwhile closed Siegburg armaments factory. He rents a former laundry room in Mühlengasse (today: Mühlenstraße) and sets up his lathe there. His friend Adolf Mletzko, who also becomes a partner of the company, supports him. The Mletzko & Walterscheid metal goods factory started operating in September 1919. The two owners employ one worker, so that they now work in threes. A company’s success story begins. But who is Jean Walterscheid?

Johann Josef Walterscheid was born in Siegburg in 1892 to the spouses Peter and Anna Walterscheid. Like in the Rhineland, it is called in the French form “Jean” or “Schäng”. After attending elementary school, he began an apprenticeship as a lathe operator at the Royal Works in Siegburg in 1906. It is used in the fireworks laboratory, one of the two armaments factories. His hobby is cycling: in 1908 he became a member of the Siegburg cycling club. After completing his apprenticeship, he made a short detour to a company in Hameln before starting again in the fireworks laboratory in 1912. He experiences how the arms factory produces armaments for the First World War (1914-1918) under high pressure.

When the First World War ended with the capitulation of Germany in November 1918, Allied troops occupied the Rhineland. First Canadians move into the victory circle, later English and finally French come. The French occupation zone also includes Siegburg on the right bank of the Rhine – as part of the so-called bridgehead around Cologne. The German military has to leave the region, arms industry is prohibited. On September 13, 1919, the storey factory and the fireworks laboratory were closed and the employees were fired. The attempt to convert the plants to peace production fails after a few years. Only a few of the last 27,000 workers keep their jobs and Jean Walterscheid is not one of them. He now takes the step into self-employment.