Background
Thompson was the fifth of eight children, her father Cornelius Thompson was a shipowner and marine architect.
Thompson was the fifth of eight children, her father Cornelius Thompson was a shipowner and marine architect.
During World War I Thompson became a driver for the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY), joining in January 1915. The role included a requirement to perform mechanical maintenance tasks on the vehicles. In 1916 she was second in command to Lilian Franklin on the first expedition in support of the British Army (the FANY had previously assisted the Belgians and the French).
On 29 March, 1915 she was awarded the Knight"s Cross of the Order of Leopold II, by King Albert for evacuating wounded Belgian soldiers under fire, near Dixmude. Thompson was also awarded the Military Medal and the Croix de Guerre for courage under fire while moving injured during bombing raid in May 1918.
