A Brief History Of Toc H

Toc H was born in the strife of World War 1. It started in a house in a Belgian town named Poperinge, a few miles behind the front-line trenches. The house was called Talbot House (whose initials, in army telephone jargon, give Toc H its distinctive name).

In this house a young Army chaplain, the Rev. 'Tubby' Clayton, set up a rest centre for soldiers. From the start, it was open to all ranks, which was very unusual. Many who visited gained a deeper understanding of other people, and of their own Faith.

After the War the men who survived returned to civilian life. They decided to try to recreate the Talbot House experience in peacetime. They started creating opportunities for other people to have that same experience, whether the divisions were of rank, class or any other. To begin with, they set up residential houses like Talbot House. Later, they started forming local branches, which met weekly and very soon women were fully involved too.