Toc H is a British organization that promotes friendship and equality among all people, regardless of their culture, race, or religion. It works to encourage mutual acceptance among people and to do away with prejudices within British society.
Toc H began when Philip Clayton, a British Army chaplain, opened a club for Christian soldiers in Poperinge, Belgium, in 1915 during World War I. He called it Talbot House in memory of Gilbert Talbot, a British soldier killed during the war. The name was shortened to T.H., which Army signalers pronounced Toc H. After the war, in 1920, Clayton opened a new Talbot House in London. The association soon spread throughout the United Kingdom and to many English-speaking countries. In 1922, the League of Women Helpers of Toc H was formed. The original members were nurses who had used Talbot House. The men’s and women’s organizations were combined in 1971. Toc H is based in Aylesbury, near London, England.
