The Pilgrim’s Way - Talbot House in the interwar period

Jan Louagie MBE

(Talbot House Association, Poperinge, 2024)

The book is drawn from many years of extensive research into an episode in the history of the house which has been left in the shadows for too long. Making use of primary sources as in his previous books, the author has chosen to tell the story through the words of the main characters themselves. The narrative line is chronological, which works effectively in conveying a history based upon a building but so much more the result of the interactions between so many people involved. It contains a wealth of wonderful anecdotes and stories, with numerous photos and images throughout the text. A lot of extra information is to be found in the extensive footnotes. The subsequent appendices comprise a selection of original documents.

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Away from the turmoil of battle in the Ieper Salient, the town of Poperinge developed into the nerve centre of the British sector. On 11th December 1915, the Army Chaplains Philip (‘Tubby’) Clayton and Neville Talbot opened an ‘Every Man’s Club’ in the heart of this bustling town. It was an alternative place of wholesome recreation where all soldiers, regardless of their rank, were welcome. The inspired way in which Tubby ran this ‘home from home’, turned Talbot House into the best-known soldiers’ club of the British Army – a sanctuary for half a million men on their way to or from the Front.

At the end of the war the House was handed back to its owner, Maurice Coevoet, a wealthy stockbroker. The surviving troops returned to their families and to careers interrupted or postponed by war. But some of those who returned dreamed of re-creating Talbot House, ‘Toc H’ as they called it, in peacetime. Houses were established in London and other British cities. Groups of men who had known Talbot House came together, not only in the UK, but in all countries of the British Empire, to preserve the spirit of friendship and to carry out some form of service in the community. Toc H grew quickly and by the late 1920s there were thousands of members and hundreds of branches, each of which was given a bronze ‘Lamp of Maintenance’, the symbol of the movement. It was lit at every meeting when members celebrated the simple ‘Ceremony of Light’, remembering the sacrifice of the Elder Brethren.

In the 1920s Toc H organized very large pilgrimages in memory of the ‘Talbotousians’ who had fallen on the “holy ground”. Invariably these parties tried to get access to Talbot House, in particular in the hope of getting a glimpse of the loft, where during the war the Chapel, which had sacred associations for many, was to be found.

Given the inconvenience caused by these visits, Coevoet decided to put his property up for sale. Before taking any further steps, he approached Tubby who in turn informed Toc H. They decided against the purchase thinking it was right to concentrate on new Houses needed in London. At that crucial moment, one of the Padre’s friends, philanthropist Sir Charles Wakefield, stepped in, purchased the “dear old place” himself and presented it to the movement, earning the gratitude of members worldwide.

As under Belgian law property could only be held by Belgians or by a body with a Belgian majority membership, a non-profit organisation was set up to which Wakefield donated the House. It was chaired by Paul Slessor, a retired major of the regular army who spoke fluent French and had been instrumental in negotiating the purchase on Wakefield’s behalf. Slessor was put in charge of restoring to the House all its surviving furniture and carefully preserved relics, particularly those of the Chapel, and of the very considerable job of making it suitable for use by Toc H pilgrims. Bedrooms were created and furnished, a new library was installed and, with the advice of some staff members of the Imperial War Graves Commission, the overgrown waste ground at the back of the House was turned into a splendid garden. The work also included building a new bathhouse, which soon became known as the ‘Slessorium’. The Major also recruited René Berat, a local shoemaker, and his wife Alida, as caretakers. They would remain at their posts until 17 July 1941 when during the German occupation they were told that the House would be requisitioned and that they had twenty-four hours to quit.

On Easter Day 1931, Lord Wakefield officially reopened the House, with representatives from Toc H worldwide, many of them veterans of the Great War. The ceremony was filmed by British Movietone News and a few days later shown in cinemas all over the UK.

From that day onward, organized Toc H pilgrimages continued to come and go every weekend until the autumn without a break. By June 1936 the accommodation at the Old House had been increased to thirty-five beds. The number of visitors kept growing. ‘Honorary Wardens’ were appointed to show them round and explain the history and traditions of the House, a practice which continues to this very day. When in mid-August 1939 the last warden was called back to England to join his regiment, some 240 organised pilgrimages had taken place and no less than 22,000 people from all parts of the world had signed the visitors’ books.

Unfortunately, once again the shadow of war was looming…

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The Pilgrim’s Way - Talbot House in the interwar period, 94 pp.

Jan Louagie MBE has been the Honorary Secretary of the Talbot House Association for more than 40 years. The mission of this charity is to preserve the House in Poperinge as an inspirational centre of peace and reconciliation, providing physical, mental and spiritual refreshment for all visitors. It is done so in perpetual memory of its role as a club for ‘everyman’ during the First World War.

Other books by the same author:

  • A Touch of Paradise in Hell, Talbot House, Poperinge – Every-Man’s Sanctuary from the Trenches, Helion & Co., Solihull, 2015, 388 pp.
  • Talbot House in the Second World War, Poperinge, 2022, 70pp.