Harold Warris Thompson
Encyclopedia
Sir Harold Warris Thompson (15 February 1908–31 December 1983) was an English
physical chemist.
He was born in Wombwell
, Yorkshire
, the son of William Thompson, a colliery executive, and Charlotte Emily. He was educated at King Edward VII School
in Sheffield
, then at Trinity College
, Oxford, where he was tutored by Cyril Norman Hinshelwood
. He graduated in 1929 and worked with Fritz Haber
and Max Planck
in Berlin
. He returned to Oxford in 1930 after receiving a Ph.D.
from the Friedrich Wilhelm University of Berlin
.
He was an inspiring teacher, and his research interests included chemical reactions in gases, photochemistry
and spectroscopy
. During the Second World War he worked on infra-red spectroscopy for the Ministry of Aircraft Production, and afterwards continued research in this field. Professor Sir Harold Thompson was an Oxford chemistry don who had taught Margaret Thatcher when she was a chemistry student.
He was an avid football
player, earning a blue
in his final year at Oxford. He was involved with Oxford University Association Football Club
for most of his life, helping to establish the Varsity match
at Wembley. He established the Pegasus Club in 1948. He was Chairman of the Football Association
(1976–1981). One former FA official said of him, "Sir Harold was a bullying autocrat. He was a bastard. He treated the staff like shit".
He played a major role in the sacking of Sir Alf Ramsey
in 1974. "England's most successful manager would have had a legacy fit for a hero had it not been for the malevolence of the FA chief Harold Thompson", said Leo McKinstry.
He received many honours, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
in 1946. He was knighted in 1968 and made a chevalier of the Légion d’honneur in 1971.
He married Grace Penelope Stradling in 1938 and had two children. He died on 31 December 1983.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
physical chemist.
He was born in Wombwell
Wombwell
Wombwell is a small town near Barnsley, located in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 15,180.Its name's origin may mean "Womba's Well", or "well in a hollow"....
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, the son of William Thompson, a colliery executive, and Charlotte Emily. He was educated at King Edward VII School
King Edward VII School (Sheffield)
King Edward VII School is a secondary school and language college located in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. KES, named after the reigning monarch, was formed in 1905 when Wesley College was merged with Sheffield Royal Grammar School on the site of the former on Glossop Road...
in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, then at Trinity College
Trinity College, Oxford
The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...
, Oxford, where he was tutored by Cyril Norman Hinshelwood
Cyril Norman Hinshelwood
Sir Cyril Norman Hinshelwood OM PRS was an English physical chemist.Born in London, his parents were Norman Macmillan Hinshelwood, a chartered accountant, and Ethe Frances née Smith. He was educated first in Canada, returning in 1905 on the death of his father to a small flat in Chelsea where he...
. He graduated in 1929 and worked with Fritz Haber
Fritz Haber
Fritz Haber was a German chemist, who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1918 for his development for synthesizing ammonia, important for fertilizers and explosives. Haber, along with Max Born, proposed the Born–Haber cycle as a method for evaluating the lattice energy of an ionic solid...
and Max Planck
Max Planck
Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck, ForMemRS, was a German physicist who actualized the quantum physics, initiating a revolution in natural science and philosophy. He is regarded as the founder of the quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918.-Life and career:Planck came...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. He returned to Oxford in 1930 after receiving a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from the Friedrich Wilhelm University of Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
.
He was an inspiring teacher, and his research interests included chemical reactions in gases, photochemistry
Photochemistry
Photochemistry, a sub-discipline of chemistry, is the study of chemical reactions that proceed with the absorption of light by atoms or molecules.. Everyday examples include photosynthesis, the degradation of plastics and the formation of vitamin D with sunlight.-Principles:Light is a type of...
and spectroscopy
Spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between matter and radiated energy. Historically, spectroscopy originated through the study of visible light dispersed according to its wavelength, e.g., by a prism. Later the concept was expanded greatly to comprise any interaction with radiative...
. During the Second World War he worked on infra-red spectroscopy for the Ministry of Aircraft Production, and afterwards continued research in this field. Professor Sir Harold Thompson was an Oxford chemistry don who had taught Margaret Thatcher when she was a chemistry student.
He was an avid football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player, earning a blue
University Sporting Blue
A Blue is an award earned by sportsmen and women at a university and some schools for competition at the highest level. The awarding of Blues began at Oxford and Cambridge Universities...
in his final year at Oxford. He was involved with Oxford University Association Football Club
Oxford University A.F.C.
Oxford University Association Football Club is an English football club representing the University of Oxford.-History:Formed in 1872, the club was a giant of the 1870s, winning the FA Cup 2-0 against Royal Engineers in 1874 and finishing the competition as runners up in 1873, 1877 and 1880, the...
for most of his life, helping to establish the Varsity match
Varsity match
A varsity match is a sporting fixture between two university rivals; in its original and most common form, it is used to describe meetings between Oxford University and Cambridge University.-Popular British and Irish Varsity matches:*University of Oxford v...
at Wembley. He established the Pegasus Club in 1948. He was Chairman of the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
(1976–1981). One former FA official said of him, "Sir Harold was a bullying autocrat. He was a bastard. He treated the staff like shit".
He played a major role in the sacking of Sir Alf Ramsey
Alf Ramsey
Sir Alfred Ernest "Alf" Ramsey was an English footballer and manager of the English national football team from 1963 to 1974. His greatest achievement was winning the 1966 World Cup with England on 30 July 1966...
in 1974. "England's most successful manager would have had a legacy fit for a hero had it not been for the malevolence of the FA chief Harold Thompson", said Leo McKinstry.
He received many honours, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in 1946. He was knighted in 1968 and made a chevalier of the Légion d’honneur in 1971.
He married Grace Penelope Stradling in 1938 and had two children. He died on 31 December 1983.
External links
- Harold Thompson — biography on the Oxford University Association Football Club web site
- Thompson Papers at the Royal Society