Many readers of the Digest Magazine will have noticed occasional references made to an organisation under the name of ‘Toc H’. In fact quite recently in our February 2006 edition we published a series of photographs of the Knottingley Branch of Toc H parading as the ''Hill Billies'' after a performance and I feel sure it was a welcome relief to the audience escaping from blackout conditions. Also arising from the performance was the raising of much needed funds for the provision of home comforts for our fighting servicemen and women. I was intrigued with their ideals and decided to find out more about the organisation.

Toc H was born amid the strife of World War One and it was a small Belgian town called Poperinge that witnessed the birth of the organisation in 1915. One of the first persons to be connected with the formation of Toc H was the Reverend Philip Clayton, soon to become affectionately known as ''Tubby Clayton'' by many of the servicemen who had the pleasure of coming into contact with him.

The original idea of a club came from the Reverend Neville Talbot who was serving at the time as a senior chaplain with the 6th British Division. Reverend Talbot had for some time nurtured the idea of acquiring a building that could be put to good use as a Church Club. It was during his search for a suitable building that he found a severely damaged and disused old hop house, which had been abandoned by its owners. Using his considerable powers of persuasion with the Army, Reverend Talbot convinced them to pay rent for the building, and thus the Toc H movement was born.

The building was to become synonymous with the Reverend Talbot by all the visiting troops. It became universally known as Talbot House, and dedicated to the memory of the Reverend Neville Talbot's brother, Lt. Gilbert Talbot, who was killed in action at Hooge on July 30th 1915. However, to the troops who were fortunate to have visited the club it was always warmly referred to as Toc H – formed from Talbot House’s initials translated into signallers’ parlance.

The town of Poperinge, just a few miles behind the front line, was used as a staging post for the thousands of British and Commonwealth troops who were assembled there before they moved up to the forward trenches. The concept behind the formation of such a club was to establish a place which could offer comfort and cheer to the thousands of British and Commonwealth troops before they were despatched to engage the enemy. ''Tubby'' Clayton was installed to oversee the smooth running of Talbot House, a duty he took very much to his heart and performed well.

Talbot House was officially opened in December 1915 as a refuge of peace and tranquillity for all ranks of the Forces to enjoy and take full advantage of. For many of its visitors, on their way to the killing fields of Ypres, it would be their last taste of anything like home. One can only imagine the atmosphere of the club. A time to reflect on the good times back home, thoughts of their families, writing letters to loved ones, smoking a cigarette or a pipe of tobacco, telling a joke or two to evoke some laughter and cheer and perhaps attending a prayer service in the main upper room which had been converted into a functional working chapel, complete with an altar - a former carpenters bench. One thing is clear, the benefits obtained by the visitors to Talbot House will never possibly be understood by those who did not have any personal knowledge or experience of the Club.

After the war, those who had survived returned to civilian life and some decided to try to recreate the Talbot House experience in peacetime. They began creating opportunities for others to share that same experience. Residential houses were established and soon local branches were formed in all parts of the country and it was not long before women were involved too. Today Toc H is a worldwide movement playing a significant role in the work of reconciliation, multiculturalism and religious co-operation.

Maurice Haigh