Brian Harold Thomson
Encyclopedia
Colonel Brian Harold Thomson (21 November 1918 - 7 November 2006) was a newspaper proprietor of D. C. Thomson & Co. and soldier in the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry
Fife and Forfar Yeomanry
The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry was an Armoured Yeomanry Regiment of the British Territorial Army from 1793 to 1956 when it was amalgimated with the Scottish Horse....
. He was widely known as "Mr Brian" within D. C. Thomson & Co. and throughout the business community of Dundee.
Education
Brian was educated at CharterhouseCharterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
and spent a year in Germany before joining the family firm (D. C. Thomson & Co.) in 1937.
DC Thomson & Co.
Brian Thomson was a great-grandson of William Harold Thomson, a Dundonian who prospered first as a draper and later as a shipowner, and in 1884 became the major shareholder of the Dundee CourierThe Courier
The Courier & Advertiser, more commonly known as simply The Courier, is a broadsheet newspaper published by DC Thomson in Dundee, Scotland...
& Daily Argus.
William's son, David Coupar Thomson
David Coupar Thomson
David Coupar Thomson was the proprietor of the newspaper and publishing company D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.-Early life:...
, became general manager of the paper, and in 1905 a growing portfolio of newspaper interests was consolidated as D. C. Thomson & Co..
David Coupar Thomson
David Coupar Thomson
David Coupar Thomson was the proprietor of the newspaper and publishing company D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.-Early life:...
remained chairman of the company until his death, aged 93, in 1954; but it was his nephew, Harold (Brian's father), who drove the expansion of its publishing interests, particularly in the field of comics. The Sunday Post
The Sunday Post
The Sunday Post is a weekly newspaper published in Dundee, Scotland by DC Thomson, and characterised by a 'folksy' mix of news, sentimental stories and short features...
, launched in 1914, introduced a "Fun" section in 1936 which became home to iconic cartoon characters such as Oor Wullie
Oor Wullie
Oor Wullie is a Scottish comic strip published in the D.C. Thomson newspaper, The Sunday Post. It features a boy named William, known as Wullie . His trademarks are spiky hair, dungarees and an upturned bucket, which he often uses as a seat...
and the Broons
The Broons
The Broons is a comic strip in Scots published in the weekly Scottish newspaper, The Sunday Post. It features the Broon family, who live in a tenement flat at 10 Glebe Street, in the fictional Scottish town of Auchentogle or Auchenshoogle . They are also shown as living on Glebe Street...
.
Brian became a joint Managing Director in 1948 and succeeded his father as chairman in 1974. He conducted business according to strict principles of fairness and courtesy. He did not believe that his company's affairs were the concern of anyone but himself and his board, and he almost never spoke about them to the outside world.
His publications upheld traditional Scottish family values and tastes, typified by the homely tone of the Sunday Post
The Sunday Post
The Sunday Post is a weekly newspaper published in Dundee, Scotland by DC Thomson, and characterised by a 'folksy' mix of news, sentimental stories and short features...
and by magazine titles such as Classic Stitches.
Military service
In September 1939 he joined the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry. Posted to MontgomeryBernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC , nicknamed "Monty" and the "Spartan General" was a British Army officer. He saw action in the First World War, when he was seriously wounded, and during the Second World War he commanded the 8th Army from...
's Eighth Army
Eighth Army (United Kingdom)
The Eighth Army was one of the best-known formations of the British Army during World War II, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns....
in early 1943 and served in armoured cars in North Africa and in the intense battles fighting up the spine of Italy.
After the war he continued to serve in the Yeomanry
Yeomanry
Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Territorial Army, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units may serve in a variety of different military roles.-History:...
. He was promtoed to Lieutenant-Colonel and from 1953-1955 he commanded his Regiment, the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry
Fife and Forfar Yeomanry
The Fife and Forfar Yeomanry was an Armoured Yeomanry Regiment of the British Territorial Army from 1793 to 1956 when it was amalgimated with the Scottish Horse....
.
Family Life and Private Life
He married in 1947 Patricia Cunninghame (died 1991) and had one son Christopher, now deputy chairman of D. C. Thomson & Co., and four daughters.He loved his garden and woodlands, enjoyed shooting, and was a fine golfer at Royal and Ancient
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is one of the oldest and most prestigious golf clubs in the world . It is based in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, and is regarded as the worldwide "Home of Golf"...
at St Andrews
St Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
, where he reached the final of the Jubilee Vase in 1953; he continued to play regularly until he was well into his eighties.
Brian Thomson was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
in 1988.
See also
- List of DC Thomson Publications
- British comics