Toc H.
I travelled to Poperinghe which is approximately 7 miles from Ypres. During WWI Poperinghe had more traffic than Piccadilly Circus in London. This was the British Army’s supply hub and rest area away from the front line in Ypres.
Neville Talbot a senior Church of England chaplain for the British Army with Phillip (Tubby) Clayton searched for a house in Poperinghe as a base for soldiers to rest away from the front as well as to conduct religious services. They found a house which they rented from a family and called it Talbot House, named after Neville’s brother Gilbert, who had been killed at Hooge earlier in 1915. The soldiers called it Toc H, as this was the signallers code as T for Talbot was Toc and H, was just the same H. (Today this would be Tango Hotel).
The house provided some rooms, a kitchen, food, a garden, library, billiards table, washrooms and a concert hall. Rank did not matter; anyone could use the facilities. There was a chapel in the attic and services were held throughout the day. No alcohol was allowed.
The house remains today, and you can still stay the night in one of the rooms. I could see why this was such a popular place and how the soldiers who had endured the front line would be able to get away from it all. The house has many photographs of soldiers in the property and has retained all the original features it could. Toc H still exists as a charity today. After WWI it had as many as 17 properties around the world helping WWI veterans.
Poperinghe also has the death cells and firing post used to execute British soldiers charged with crimes and desertion. It is a very sad place where you can see graffiti on the walls of cells left by those awaiting their fate. Over 300 soldiers were executed by the British Army during WWI.
