Zone d'identification
Cote
Titre
Date(s)
- 1871 - 1985 (Production)
Niveau de description
collection
Étendue matérielle et support
51 boxes and photographs
Zone du contexte
Nom du producteur
Notice biographique
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.
Histoire archivistique
Source immédiate d'acquisition ou de transfert
The Rev. D.C. Thompson Papers were deposited in 1986 by his daughter Mrs. Gwen Rogers.
Zone du contenu et de la structure
Portée et contenu
The papers were built up by Rev. Douglas Thompson during his lifetime and they are particularly strong on the politics of the 1940s and the 1950s. Subjects covered are politics, political trials, justice, detentions, bannings, child welfare, health and church matters.
The Thompson Papers consist of correspondence, diaries, sermons, addresses, minutes of meetings, memoranda, press cuttings and photographs.
Évaluation, élimination et calendrier de conservation
Accroissements
Mode de classement
Zone des conditions d'accès et d'utilisation
Conditions d’accès
Conditions de reproduction
Langue des documents
Écriture des documents
Notes de langue et graphie
Caractéristiques matérielle et contraintes techniques
Item An1 - Summary of the Tomlinson Report - has been digitised and can be accessed online.
Instruments de recherche
Zone des sources complémentaires
Existence et lieu de conservation des originaux
Existence et lieu de conservation des copies
Unités de description associées
Zone des notes
Note
Documents relating to Pietersburg and Sekhukhuniland Missions were stolen.
Identifiant(s) alternatif(s)
Mots-clés
Mots-clés - Sujets
Mots-clés - Lieux
Mots-clés - Noms
Mots-clés - Genre
Zone du contrôle de la description
Identifiant de la description
Identifiant du service d'archives
Règles et/ou conventions utilisées
Statut
Niveau de détail
Dates de production, de révision, de suppression
Langue(s)
Écriture(s)
Sources
Note de l'archiviste
Compiled by Michele Pickover, 1992