Tubby Clayton

Philip 'Tubby' Clayton WW1 Army Chaplin opened a behind the lines club for British soldiers in 1915. Based in Poperinge it was named Talbert House after Lt Talbert of the Rifle Brigade and son of the Bishop of Winchester who was killed at Ypres in 1915. Soldiers could meet and relax regardless of rank - 'All rank abandon ye who enter here.' In those days the signal code for T was Toc not Tango so Talbert House became known as Toc H - the Army loves abbreviations. Toc H wagons began to deliver food extras and tea to troops near the front line, continuing this activity in WW2. Its symbol the Lamp became instantly recognisable to troops. If you wanted to accuse a fellow soldier of being a bit slow you would say he was ' as dim as aToc H lamp'

In 1922 Clayton became vicar of All Hallows by the Tower. He also relaunched Toc H as an international Christian friendship organisation and and became heavily involved with the Tower Hill Improvement Trust. In this capacity he was responsible for the Statue of the Roman Emperor Trajan that stands in Wakefield Gardens in front of one of the best remaining sections of London's Roman Wall. He found it in a scrap yard in Southampton and brought it back to stand in this Roman setting. (Trajan unlike his successor Hadrian never visited Britain - the current Hadrian exhibition at the BM is a must see)

All Hallows today contains the cremated remains of many Toc H members and the 'Lamp of Maintenance' from which all other Toc H lamps are lit.