Once Tubby got back to England after the war, he started working in the Knutsford Ordination Test School. The idea of the "Old House" never left him though, and soon he started working on a new "Talbot House" in London. He began by writing letters, articles, speeches and ads. In September 1919 he published his first "Tales of Talbot House". A lot of old friends read this book and got in contact with him again.
On the 15th of November, Tubby's new dream became reality: the Toc H movement (a nick-name based on the abbreviation T.H.) was founded as a successor to the House. Today, the movement is still an active charity organization all over the world. The oil lamp (a light in the dark) has been their symbol since the very beginning.
After the war, countless British veterans and their families came back to Flanders Fields to remember the fallen. Some also returned to Poperinge, hoping to find what was left of their "Little Paris". In the meantime Maurice Coevoet, the original owner of Talbot House, had moved in again. In 1929 he decided to sell the house. Thanks to the financial support of Lord Wakefield of Hythe the building was donated to the "Talbot House de Poperinghe" association of which major Paul Slessor became the secretary. Slessor immediately started renovating Talbot House in order to receive thousands of pilgrims. Among other things, he had a bathhouse built, the "Slessorium”, which is used as an exhibition room today.
Today, Talbot House is still run very much as it once way. The Talbot House Association is a registered charity which aims at preserving the House and spreading the legacy of Talbot House to future generations. If you would like to become part of our organisation, you can join the Talbotousians.
Did you know...
...Slessorium is not a real word. It's derived from the name of Slessor, the man who was responsible for the construction of the building.
TALBOT HOUSE EVERY MAN'S CLUB, POPERINGE, BELGIUM - COPYRIGHT 2023