The Revd P.B. Tubby Clayton may lay claim to have been one of the most
charismatic and influential Anglican priests of the twentieth century. A
Fool for Thy Feast is a modern assessment of the career of this
remarkable man, using his personal papers, family papers, Toc H archives
and Church Archives.
Tubby was pursuing a conventional clerical career when war changed his
course. He became an army chaplain and ran the famous Talbot House in
Poperinghe, the 'Haven in Hell' just behind the lines, visited by
thousands of the troops fighting in the Ypres Salient. After the war
Tubby set up a peace time movement to continue the ethos and values of
service and equality which had existed in Talbot House. This movement,
which soon spread in Britain and around the world, was called Toc H, the
signalers' abbreviation for Talbot House. The movement encouraged young
men, and later women, to follow the precepts of 'the four points of the
compass' that is, 'to love widely, to build bravely, to think fairly,
and to witness humbly.'
During this time Tubby was also the incumbent of All Hallows Church,
Tower Hill. He built up a powerful reputation with his pastoral work
among the parishioners in the city and port of London. He found time to
organize the redevelopment of Tower Hill and encourage many Toc H
volunteers to work with leprosy sufferers in Africa.
During the Second World War Tubby served as a chaplain in oil tankers
and also promoted the work of Toc H in the services around the world.
His beloved All Hallows was destroyed in the Blitz and Tubby spent much
of the rest of his ministry ensuring that it was rebuilt. He retired in
1963 to spend time being involved in Toc H once more.
The life and times of Tubby Clayton encompass the most interesting
historical topics of the social, religious, and military histories of
the twentieth century, and in this year in which the 100th anniversary
of the opening of Talbot House is marked, it is fitting that the
multifaceted personality, talents and achievements of this twentieth
century priest be celebrated by an up to date biography.
