The cheer offered to British soldiers 100 years ago when Talbot House first opened its doors in Belgium was today remembered on the streets of London and Manchester.
Free cups of tea were handed out as part of events marking the centenary of the ‘Every Man’s Club’ run by army chaplain Philip ‘Tubby’ Clayton during the First World War.
A reception was held at Talbot House in Poperinge itself on December 11th 2015 — the 100th anniversary of its opening in 1915.
The guests included former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, who has family links with Tubby Clayton, and Flanders’ Minister-President Geert Bourgeois.
Talbot House, or Toc H as it was known to the troops, provided a ‘home from home’ just behind the front lines of the Ypres salient.
Signs such as ‘abandon rank all ye who enter here’ set the informal tone for a club where all ranks were welcome to relax, not least with plentiful quantities of traditional British tea.
Talbot House continues today as a museum and guesthouse, and Tubby Clayton’s legacy is also to be found in Toc H, the charity he founded to perpetuate the spirit of fellowship after the war.
The Rev.Philip ‘Tubby’ Clayton is commemorated with an effigy in All Hallows by the Tower, the City of London church where he served as parish priest for more than 40 years.
More information about the Centenary can be found on the Talbot House website.
Also in Centenary News:
‘An Oasis in a World Gone Crazy’ – An exhibition remembering Talbot House runs at Guildhall Library, in the City of London, until January 8th 2016.
Source: Visitflanders
Images: Centenary News
Posted by: Peter Alhadeff, Centenary News