Talbot House Poperinghe |
In Poperinghe Talbot House became a place of rest and relaxation for British Soldiers from 1915 until the end of the war.
Poperinghe was a place of relative safety, being out of
range for all but the longest ranging German guns. One of those guns landed a
shell in the garden of local brewer Cevoet Camerlynk in Summer 1915 resulting
in him removing his family and belongings to a safer location. He rented the
empty house to the British Army for 150 francs per month.
Senior Army Chaplain Padre Neville Talbot, son of the Bishop
of Winchester instructed fellow Padre ‘ Tubby Clayton’ to secure use of the
house as a Soldiers Club as ‘an alternative for the ‘debauched’ recreational
life of the town’. Tubby Clayton |
It was named after Padre Talbot’s brother Gilbert who was
killed at Hooge in July 1915. The damage from the shelling was repaired by the
Royal Engineers and it opened 15th December 1915.
The facilities were available to all serving regardless of rank ‘Every-Mans Club’.
Talbot House Every Mans Club |
It was place to try and forget the war, a sign on the entrance way displayed the Clubs ethos.
The location was nicknamed Toc H, the signallers phonetics for TH during WW1. The facilities included canteen, restroom, library and writing room. On the top floor, a chapel was constructed in the attic which had been previously used to dry hops.
The house was left unfurnished, the soldiers ‘acquiring’ items to make the place homelier, gifts from England including books to fill the library further enhanced the quality of the surroundings.
Talbot House Entrance Hall |
Talbot House Front Room with portrait of Tubby Clayton |
Talbot House Bruce Bairnsfather Plates |
Tubby Clayton was still in charge of the clubhouse and wanted to make sure that there was a cosy and homely atmosphere for all, regardless of rank and status. The sign on the door of Tubby's office, the chaplains room outlines his philosophy:
ALL RANK ABANDON YE WHO ENTER HERE
Talbot House Chaplains Room Sign |
Talbot House Chaplains Room Writing Desk |
Talbot House Chaplains Room Tea Table |
Talbot House Tea Table and Bedspace |
Talbot House Chapel |
Talbot House Chapel Altar |
Talbot House 1916 |
Talbot House 2016 |