A life-long attachment to Gladstone persisted and he sat on the committee overseeing the publication of the statesman's diaries, most of the editing of which was carried out by Thompson's former research student, Colin Matthew.
[1] Although Thompson authored some notable works, in particular the first volume of A History of British Trade Unions since 1889 (1964), which he co-authored with Clegg and Fox, and "Gladstone's Whips at the General Election of 1868" (1948), he wrote relatively little.
But, he was a deemed a 'major force' in history teaching at Oxford during his four decades at Wadham: he was, in the words of The Independent, "alternately acerbic and avuncular, iconoclastic and inspiring, and always generous with his time".
His unique style of teaching produced a number of outstanding academics, notably Colin Matthew and Ross McKibbin; his pupils included Melvyn Bragg and Julian Mitchell.
[2] Thompson married Mary Barritt, a Botany student at Somerville College, in 1942; they had three children: a daughter, Ruth, and two sons: Alan (1943–1989) and Johnny (b.