Henry Blythe Thornhill Wakelam

In September 1935 it was announced that Movietone was employing ‘Captain H. B. T. Wakelam, the former Harlequin forward and one of the leading authorities on Rugby football, who will follow the All Blacks during their tour of this country.' Wakelam had resigned his commission in 1921, and later joined the BBC. In 1927 Wakelam had been responsible for the BBC’s first running commentary - on the rugby match between England and Wales at Twickenham - and in 1928 he became rugby correspondent of the Morning Post. Wakelam’s first credit for Movietone is for ‘SPORTS: All Black’s first match versus Devon & Cornwall at Devonport,' in British Movietone News No.328 of September 1935. He provided regular commentaries for the reel until ‘TENNIS: England just fail to recapture the Wightman Cup’ in No.367 of June 1936. In 1938 Wakelam provided the BBC’s first television commentary on a Test match, when he broadcast the match between England and Australia at Lords.

Sources

W. A. Pullan ‘Unseen stars of the news reel,' Picturegoer, 19/10/1935, p.24: Who’s Who 1897-1996 CD-ROM.