Douglas Thompson was born in England on the 8th August 1905 the son of David Chadwick Thompson and Kitty Brettle. David Thompson fought in the Boer War and in 1907 the Thompson family settled in Pretoria.

Douglas Thompson was a restless scholar. He left Pretoria Boys High in form four (192, 3) and became an iron moulding apprentice with the South African Railways and Harbours (1923-1928). The Church strongly influenced his life from an early age and in 1928 he was accepted into the Wesleyan Methodist Ministry. Between 1928 and 1930 he studied at Richmond College, the Divinity School at London University. On his return to the Union he was placed in the Geaina Area of the Pretoria Circuit. From 1937 to 1941 he was sent to Pietersburg and from 1942 - 1950 he was in Johannesburg West. From 1950 onwards he was in Springs

During his late teens Thompson became interested in world politics, local political issues, philosophy and psychology. He was particularly interested in the politics of the Soviet Union as well as the relationship between Christianity and communism. Thompson was of the first "Marxist theologians" in South Africa. He described himself as a Christian humanist and as a man who had a copy of Marx in the one hand and the Bible in the other.

Thompson was Chairman of the South African Peace Council, the Transvaal Peace Council and the Society for Peace and Friendship with Soviet Union. As the result of his involvement in these organisations he travelled to eastern bloc countries and the Soviet Union. He was also active in the Congress of Democrats, the Penal Reform League and the Child Welfare Society.

Douglas Thompson was one of the accused in the 1956 Treason Trial. He was banned from 1962-1967.