Edward and Dorothy Thompson

Edward and Dorothy Thompson were historians and activists. They met in 1945, and worked together on the international youth brigade which helped to build the railway in Tito's Yugoslavia. Soon afterwards they married and settled in Halifax, West Yorkshire, where they both taught in extramural adult education. They made a dynamic and idealistic team, determined to use their considerable energy to create a better world. A succession of houses in Yorkshire and the English midlands were constantly filled with interesting people and lively discussion. Alongside their work as historians, writers and teachers, Edward and Dorothy worked tirelessly for the peace movement, being early supporters of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and founder members of the later European Nuclear Disarmament, which encouraged dialogue across the iron curtain. Both of them published seminal works in their fields, and each was the other's first editor and critic.

This website has been set up by the Thompson family as a resource page for anyone with an interest in the lives and works of Edward and Dorothy. There are also pages with information about Edward John Thompson and Frank Thompson, Edward's father and brother.