[1][2] After a short period as headmaster of a rural school, he joined the Royal Air Force during the Second World War – one of Britain's first black pilots – and saw active service (1941–45) as a flight lieutenant in RAF Bomber Command over Europe, being awarded several decorations.

[6] After qualifying as a barrister at Gray's Inn, London, in 1950,[7] and doing tutelage with Dingle Foot, QC, Thompson went on to practise law in Africa – in Tanganyika and Kenya, where he became involved in the nationalist movements.

"[8] In Tanzania, where he was a friend of Julius Nyerere, Thompson is remembered as a founder of the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU).

[14] Shortly before his death, Thompson apologised for his role in the Green Bay Massacre, when members of the military ambushed young Jamaica Labour Party (JLP0 supporters, and shot them down in cold blood.

[15] Thompson represented Jamaica in many international forums, including the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity (OAU).

In 1992 he was empanelled as a member of the Eminent Persons Group charged with implementing the movement for reparations for slavery to Africa and the African diaspora, under the auspices of the OAU.