By Ray Geise

Symbology Board

The two signs near the main entrance to Talbot House, “Abandon rank all who enter” and “Talbot House 1915–? Everyman’s Club”, are what made the House unique for the times. Everyone received the same welcome – race, nationality, religion or rank did not matter.

On the right-hand side of the mural is a group of men helping and caring for each other. The real purpose and meaning of Toc H are enshrined in this scene – Friendship, Service, Fairmindedness, The Kingdom of God. Toc H is to conquer hate.

Sitting at Tubby’s feet is a Cairn Terrier, “Chippy Mark 4”. His last four dogs were all Cairn Terriers and they were all given to him by the Queen Mother. Each dog had a Special Pass to the moat of the Tower of London, where they exercised every day. Everywhere that Tubby went, Chippy also went, and he was a good talking point.

In 1940, All Hallows Barking by the Tower, the Guild Church of Toc H was bombed. Tubby had been its Vicar since the early 1920s. When the war ended, Tubby immediately set out to have it rebuilt. Donations for this came from around the world – gifts of money and gifts in kind. Maryborough Toc H Branch decided that it would have specially crafted a chair for the new Church and Mr Colin Ruhle agreed to do this. It was sent to England and placed on the left-hand side of the nave of the rebuilt All Hallows and was the chair used by the Queen Mother when she visited the Church.

In the mural, Tubby is wearing the Companion of Honour Medal [around his neck] and his World War I Medals, which include the Military Cross. Very few people have been awarded both the Companion and the Military Cross. He was also a Doctor of Divinity. These awards help explain why Tubby was a world-renowned figure and one of the most outstanding priests in the Anglican Communion in the first half of the twentieth century.