Ypres Salient Museums
Talbot
House (Toc H) Museum, Poperinge
|
Ypres Salient Museums
Talbot
House (Toc H) Museum, Poperinge
|
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Talbot House (Toc H)A Living MuseumStory of the House Friends of Talbot House Toc H Movement 1914-1918 ReferenceThe Western FrontThe Ypres Salient Second Battle of Ypres The Somme War Graves Tracing relatives Resources & Links Bibliography Remembering Remembering Poppy Umbrella Hear Last Post 'In Flanders Fields' Armistice Day in Ypres Flanders Memorial Poppy Gardens of Remembrance InterpretationsPoemsAbout the siteWho we areRembrella  |
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The Toc H MovementMission Statement: TOC H is committed to building a fairer society by working with communities
to promote friendship and service, confront prejudice and practise reconciliation.
Since that time Toc H has found many different ways of expressing its ideals of co-operation and friendship across the normal barriers that divide people. The most long-standing is the local branch or group, which meets regularly and responds to the needs of the local community. For full details about The Toc H Movement including
visit the official Toc H Movement website at www.toch.org.uk. Throughout the year, Talbot House in Poperinge is the setting for many Toc H activities. During the year Toc H groups visit Flanders and discover the origins of their Movement. A visit to the Salient not only offers the chance to look at the past, it also triggers discussions on conflict and reconciliation in today's society. Other initiatives start in Belgium too. Each year groups of international volunteers gather at Talbot House to work together, to discuss issues and form friendships. In 1993, for the first time, German and British volunteers joined forces in cleaning and conservation work at British and German war cemeteries. The Lamp of Maintenance
'The World Chain of Light'Every year on Tubby Clayton's birthday the Lamp of Maintenance is lit in the Upper Room at Talbot House in Poperinge for 24 hours. It is lit from 9pm on the night of 11 December until 9pm on 12 December. The lighting at Toc H Poperinghe is the start of a series of lamp lightings in all the Toc H branches of the world. Toc H is a registered charity No. 211042 Battlefields Bike Challenge: September 2006The three day challenge is based around Poperinge, the Belgian Town where Toc H began its work in 1915 as a ‘haven in hell’ helping British Soldiers find peace amongst the horrors of life in the trenches. Today Toc H brings volunteer strength to local communities building friendship and practising reconciliation. The tour is fully supported by experienced tour operators, bike mechanics and medical staff. For full details and how to participate in this fundraising event visit the Toc H website. United Kingdom contact address: TOC H, Central Services, The Stable Block, The Firs, High Street, Whitchurch, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP22 4JU Telephone: 01296 642020 Freephone: 0800 018 2139 Fax: 01296 640022 Rest of Europe: Talbot House, Gasthuisstraat 43, B-8970 Poperinge, Belgium Telephone: +32 (0)57 33 32 28 Fax: +32 (0)57 33 21 83 e-mail: info@talbothouse.be Acknowledgements Copyright Joanna Legg & Graham Parker © 2002 All rights reserved |
The
Toc H Movement took its name from Talbot House and the remarkable atmosphere
of this soldiers' club in Poperinge, where the men were
encouraged to mingle and make friends, ignoring the normal rules of rank
or statues. On the front lines of the Ypres Salient the men faced danger
and death, but at Talbot House they found peace and formed the most unlikely
friendships. Many also found spiritual help.
The
symbol of the Toc H Movement is the oil lamp known as the Lamp of Maintenance,
which was used by Padre Tubby Clayton in the Upper Room
at Talbot House.