Wilfrid Thomas

Wilfrid Coad Thomas (2 May 1904 – 16 August 1991) was a British-born singer and broadcaster, who had a significant career in Australia, then as radio and television commentator for the BBC in London. His name is very frequently mis-spelled "Wilfred".

Thomas's parents, who were of Welsh and Cornish extraction, emigrated to Australia when Wilfrid was very young. He had a natural bass-baritone voice, and at the age of 14 took a series of office jobs to pay for singing lessons.

At the age of 18 he toured Australia with the Welsh Choral Society, and sang solo bass solo from Messiah at the Sydney Town Hall. He was "discovered" by Dame Nellie Melba. He toured Australia in 1923 with Edward Branscombe's Westminster Glee Singers, concluding in Sydney in 1924.

He then applied for a job with Farmer's Department Store's newly formed radio station 2FC. He was not employed as an announcer straight away, but he proved his versatility as a character actor in radio plays, as a pianist and singer; his Welsh-accented natural bass-baritone voice finding ready acceptance with audiences. He took singing lessons from Emily Marks. He rejoined the Westminster Glee Singers on their return visit to Australia in 1930, and left with them in December after a triumphant tour of Australia.

In 1934 he married the Swedish dancer Marga Lienhart of Colonel de Basil's Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, which toured Australia in 1936 (Thomas narrated the documentary film).

A recording he made was selected by The Gramophone as one of ten outstanding discs of 1936.

He wrote and acted in a thirteen-part radio play "Vocal Boy Makes Good", which was broadcast by the BBC. Among his song-writing credits is the English lyrics for Rose, Rose, I Love You for the 1940 Chinese popular song "Méigui méigui wǒ ài nǐ" (玫瑰玫瑰我愛你). The English lyrics was first recorded in 1951 by Frankie Laine and have little in common with the original Mandarin. The Frankie Lane version was later heard in the film The Last Picture Show.

He returned to Australia in 1940, producing "Out of the Bag", a variety show starring Dick Bentley, Joy Nicholls, Kitty Bluett, Bettina Dickson, and frequently broadcast from army camps. It was on this show that Bentley developed his talent for comedy.

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