Editing Denis Thatcher (section)

== Early life ==
Denis Thatcher was born on 10 May 1915 at 26 Southbrook Road, Lee, [[Lewisham]], London, as the first child of New Zealand–born British businessman Thomas Herbert "Jack" Thatcher{{sfn|Collins|2009}} and Lilian Kathleen Bird. At age eight, Denis entered a [[Preparatory school (United Kingdom)|preparatory school]] in [[Bognor Regis]] as a [[wikt:boarder|boarder]], following which he attended the [[Nonconformist (Protestantism)|nonconformist]] public school [[Mill Hill School]] in [[north London]].{{sfn|Collins|2009}} At school he excelled at [[cricket]], being a left-handed [[batsman]].{{sfn|Thatcher|1996|page=25}}

Thatcher left Mill Hill School in 1933 and joined the family paint and [[preservative]]s business,{{sfn|Collins|2009}} Atlas Preservatives.<ref name=theguardian>{{cite news |last=Barker |first=Dennis |author-link=Dennis Barker |title=Sir Denis Thatcher |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/jun/26/guardianobituaries.past |access-date=25 March 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=26 June 2003}}</ref> He also studied [[accountancy]] to improve his grasp of business,{{sfn|Thatcher|1996|page=53}} and in 1935 he was appointed works manager.{{sfn|Thatcher|1996|page=34}} He joined the [[Territorial Army (United Kingdom)|Territorial Army]] shortly after the [[Munich crisis]], as he was convinced war was imminent{{sfn|Collins|2009}}{{snd}} a view reinforced by a visit he made to [[Nazi Germany]] with his father's business in 1937.<ref name=theguardian/>