Born in Clydebank, Scotland, he attended George Watson's College and graduated from the University of Edinburgh with first class honours in history.
[8] After the formation of Malaysia in September 1963, Thomson served as its first Lord President of the Federal Court until May 1966.
She was a practising physician, working in Northern Rhodesia, where her husband was Resident Magistrate,[10][11] and was Medical Officer in Fiji.
[12] During their time in Malaysia, she became chief nutritionist at the Institute of Medical Research in Kuala Lumpur, carrying out research and authoring a number of articles on child nutrition in Malaysia.
[13] [14] When in Scotland, and after their retirement, they lived at Craig Gowan, Carrbridge, Badenoch and Strathspey, Highland region (formerly Inverness-shire).