439:
was voluntary and there was no requirement to submit articles before publication; however, those articles that were submitted and cleared for publication effectively protected the newspaper from legal consequences. A series of D (for defence) notices warned which topics were to be avoided and items were not to be submitted to the censor unless there was some doubt as to whether they conflicted with these D notices. After the war, Thomson wrote: "there were over 400,000 separate issues of newspapers during the war ... only 650,000 news items were submitted – that is, only one and a half items from each separate newspaper".
216:
169:
454:
After the war, it was decided that the system which
Thomson had been operating should be continued in peacetime under the title of the Services, Press, and Broadcasting Committee, with Thomson as secretary. He remained in this post until the early 60s. He was also appointed public relations officer
438:
There were no special laws about what the press could publish; journalists were under the same obligation as any other citizen not to engage in "obtaining, recording, communicating to any other person or publishing information which might be useful to an enemy". The
British press censorship system
442:
The body of censors, being retired officers, were used to giving orders and the journalists were used to challenging authority. However, Thomson made it clear to journalists that he was on their side and a mutually trusting relationship developed. Thomson would not tolerate censorship that ran
430:
when the war started. Thomson returned to London and presented himself to
Churchill. Churchill ordered him to: "Go at once to the Ministry of Information and give Admiral Usborne a hand with the Press Censorship. He appears to be hard pressed." Thomson later recalled in his book,
315:
as a watch-keeper and German interpreter. In 1915 he was given the command of a submarine and spent the last three years of the war in submarine service. Although he did not sink any enemy vessels while on patrol, he was appointed an OBE for his good work.
435:, that he had had "an experience of the Press which was limited to reading my newspaper at the breakfast table". Despite this inexperience, Thomson found himself dealing with Press Censorship less than a fortnight after the start of the war.
359:. He remained almost continuously in command of submarine flotillas for the next six years. Later he became Chief of Staff in China and from December 1935 to November 1936 he commanded the cruiser
982:
615:
199:
in India. His parents were Robert Brown
Thomson, a civil engineer in the public works department, and May Forbes, daughter of William R. Pirie. His parents took Thomson to
446:
Admiral
Usborne remained at the ministry of information until January 1940. In December 1940 Thomson became chief press censor, a post he held until the end of the war.
408:
started when German forces invaded Poland on 1 September 1939. As events unfolded the censor's office was inundated with requests and when, two days later, the liner
369:
From 1937 to
January 1939 he was second member of the Naval Board of Australia. Then, having served in the navy for thirty-five years, he was promoted to the rank of
898:
328:
82:
283:. The fort, which was defended "by rifle fire and mixed iron missiles from two old cannon", was captured with a loss of three killed and twelve wounded.
443:
counter to common sense even when this breached the letter of the D notices and he was always ready to explain why a particular decision had been made.
466:
172:
977:
385:
420:
459:
641:
227:
at the age of fifteen. He claimed that he chose the Royal Navy because he thought that the naval uniform might make him look slimmer.
932:
458:
Thomson was appointed OBE in 1919, CBE in 1939, and CB in 1946; he was knighted in the New Year's
Honours of 1963. He died at
855:
183:(1887–1965) was a British Royal Navy officer. He is most well known for his work as Britain's Chief Press Censor during the
275:
arrived off the
Gulluli River after dark. The next day a landing party went ashore: one hundred and twenty-five men of the
139:
777:
874:
204:
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In 1938, in anticipation of war, a system for press censorship was set up, but not implemented, as an arm of the
370:
106:
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320:
305:
242:
143:
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401:
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26:
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323:. Also, by this time, he had qualified as an interpreter in four languages, was selected for the
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937:
356:
345:
184:
649:
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827:"NAVAL BOARD CHANGE – Captain G. P. Thomson. – DISTINGUISHED CAREER OF NEW SECOND MEMBER"
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405:
397:
949:
286:
In 1908 Thomson passed for lieutenant. In 1910 he was given command of submarine
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After the war, Thomson continued in submarines and in 1920 he was promoted to
231:
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71:
54:
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and he spoke only French until he was six years old. He was later sent to
919:
Blue Pencil
Admiral – Secrets of the Press Censorship by the Chief Censor
388:. The censor's office was initially staffed by retired officers from the
341:, the latest British submarine, which was then the largest in the world.
196:
882:
294:
287:
121:
117:
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was sunk the system was pushed to breaking point. Usborne insisted to
335:
125:
881:. Defence, Press and Broadcasting Advisory Committee. Archived from
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which was then one of the newest vessels. At the beginning of the
214:
151:
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as staff-officer (operations) and in 1927 he was promoted to
930:
Woodward, David R. "Thomson, Sir George Pirie (1887–1965)".
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555:
553:
551:
549:
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545:
543:
541:
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Thomson married Hilda Long in 1909 and had two daughters.
279:
accompanied more than 300 sailors, commanded by
Captain
249:
was part of a squadron of three ships, the others being
778:"THOMSON, Sir George (Pirie) (1887–1965), Rear Admiral"
724:
722:
685:
683:
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while in command of the Sixth Submarine Flotilla at
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858:(30 January 1965). "Sir George Thomson (Letter)".
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263:, which took part in the Fourth Expedition of the
327:and was then appointed to the Admiralty for the
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817:"Promotion to Flag Rank – Half-Yearly List".
8:
936:(online ed.). Oxford University Press.
241:which was then the flagship of rear-admiral
764:
983:People educated at George Watson's College
488:Defence regulation No 3 quoted by Thomson.
465:Material relating to Thomson is stored in
20:
782:Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
467:Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
334:In 1923 Thomson was given the command of
622:. No. 8033. 10 June 1904. p. 2
933:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
899:"THOMSON, Rear-Adm. Sir George (Pirie)"
850:. 26 January 1965. p. 14 column c.
740:
728:
713:
701:
689:
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195:Thomson was born on 30 January 1887 at
344:Thomson was appointed to the flagship
158:
419:, who had just been appointed as the
7:
532:
128:; Sixth Submarine Flotilla; cruiser
879:Defence Advisory (DA) Notice system
426:Thomson had been on holiday in the
293:and a year later he transferred to
14:
846:"Sir George Thomson (Obituary)".
460:Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton
304:he was serving on the battleship
875:"History of the D-Notice System"
167:
978:Royal Navy submarine commanders
455:of the Latin American Centre.
423:, that he must have a deputy.
1:
923:Sampson Low, Marston & co
821:. 10 January 1939. p. 6.
400:and was under the command of
234:and appointed to the cruiser
950:UK public library membership
833:. 2 January 1937. p. 12
140:Africa General Service Medal
642:"HMS Devonshire's Captains"
421:First Lord of the Admiralty
373:and retired from the navy.
329:Naval Intelligence Division
999:
753:Arthur Elton (Letter) 1965
603:Sydney Morning Herald 1937
831:The Sydney Morning Herald
166:
85:Great Britain and Ireland
219:HMS Hyacinth circa. 1915
386:Ministry of Information
205:George Watson's College
942:10.1093/ref:odnb/36501
917:Thomson, G.P. (1947).
862:. p. 10 column e.
616:"Battle in Somaliland"
462:, on 24 January 1965.
243:George Atkinson-Willes
220:
471:King's College London
230:In 1903 he was rated
218:
671:Times Promotion 1939
181:George Pirie Thomson
173:George Pirie Thomson
32:George Pirie Thomson
646:Royal Navy Memories
568:Times Obituary 1965
433:Blue Pencil Admiral
265:Somaliland Campaign
223:Thomson joined the
277:Hampshire Regiment
221:
16:Royal Navy officer
948:(Subscription or
417:Winston Churchill
178:
177:
157:
156:
83:United Kingdom of
74:, London, England
36:
29:
990:
953:
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894:
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863:
851:
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784:. Archived from
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648:. Archived from
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489:
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185:Second World War
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144:Somaliland clasp
92:
68:
51:
49:
35:
25:
21:
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788:on 3 April 2013
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765:D-Notice System
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665:
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652:on 9 April 2014
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502:
497:
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428:south of France
402:Admiral Usborne
394:Royal Air Force
382:
302:First World War
213:
193:
168:
142:(1902–04), the
84:
70:
66:
65:24 January 1965
53:
52:30 January 1887
47:
45:
37:
34:
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30:
17:
12:
11:
5:
996:
994:
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885:on 9 June 2013
865:
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769:
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743:, p. 216.
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267:. On 20 April
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207:in Edinburgh.
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162:External image
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130:HMS Devonshire
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69:(aged 77)
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43:
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24:
15:
13:
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6:
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3:
2:
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868:Other sources
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856:Arthur, Elton
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56:
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40:
28:
22:
19:
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918:
906:. Retrieved
902:
887:. Retrieved
883:the original
878:
867:
866:
859:
847:
835:. Retrieved
830:
818:
810:
809:
805:Bibliography
790:. Retrieved
786:the original
781:
772:
760:
748:
741:Thomson 1947
736:
731:, p. 7.
729:Thomson 1947
716:, p. 6.
714:Thomson 1947
709:
704:, p. 2.
702:Thomson 1947
697:
692:, p. 1.
690:Thomson 1947
666:
654:. Retrieved
650:the original
645:
636:
624:. Retrieved
619:
610:
484:
464:
457:
453:
445:
441:
437:
432:
425:
411:
406:World War II
383:
380:Press Censor
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371:rear-admiral
368:
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347:
343:
337:
333:
325:Staff Course
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229:
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194:
180:
179:
107:Rear Admiral
67:(1965-01-24)
27:Rear-Admiral
18:
973:1965 deaths
968:1887 births
908:13 February
903:Who Was Who
837:15 February
792:14 February
656:17 February
626:17 February
313:Grand Fleet
308:St. Vincent
281:Horace Hood
201:Switzerland
191:Early years
116:Submarines
962:Categories
952:required.)
811:Newspapers
495:References
450:Later life
390:Royal Navy
363:Devonshire
232:midshipman
225:Royal Navy
211:Royal Navy
97:Royal Navy
79:Allegiance
72:Roehampton
55:Jubbulpore
48:1887-01-30
860:The Times
848:The Times
819:The Times
321:commander
889:14 March
533:Woodward
396:and the
357:Portland
269:Hyacinth
247:Hyacinth
238:Hyacinth
197:Jabalpur
113:Commands
91:Service/
412:Athenia
353:captain
348:Revenge
311:of the
122:HMS C24
118:HMS A11
57:, India
946:
260:Mohawk
136:Awards
126:HMS K6
93:branch
477:Notes
910:2013
891:2013
839:2013
794:2013
658:2013
628:2013
620:Star
398:Army
361:HMS
346:HMS
336:HMS
306:HMS
295:HMS
288:HMS
271:and
258:HMS
256:and
251:HMS
236:HMS
103:Rank
62:Died
42:Born
938:doi
469:of
410:SS
297:C24
290:A11
273:Fox
253:Fox
152:CBE
148:OBE
964::
921:.
901:.
877:.
829:.
780:.
721:^
678:^
644:.
618:.
575:^
540:^
503:^
473:.
404:.
392:,
366:.
338:K6
331:.
245:.
187:.
150:,
146:,
124:,
120:,
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940::
925:.
912:.
893:.
841:.
796:.
767:.
755:.
673:.
660:.
630:.
605:.
570:.
535:.
50:)
46:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
