In Australia (mostly) 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 some stage his singing teacher was Emily Marks. At the age of 18 he toured Australia with the Welsh Choral Society, and sang the bass solo from
Messiah at the
Sydney Town Hall in 1923. 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 found ready acceptance with audiences. 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 were first recorded in 1951 by
Frankie Laine and had little in common with the original
Mandarin. He returned to Australia in 1940, producing
Out of the Bag, a variety show starring
Dick Bentley,
Joy Nicholls,
Kitty Bluett, and
Bettina Dickson; frequently broadcast from army camps. It was on this show that Bentley developed his talent for comedy. He left his wife, who would not divorce him, to live with actress Bettina "Bettie" Dickson (22 December 1920 – 23 October 1994), who continued her dramatic career and acted as Wilfrid's manager. Thomas and Dickson married in London in 1956.
In London In 1951 the format of the show changed, with Thomas being based in London and producing his weekly programs from British or Continental locations or from his top-floor
Mayfair flat, where he played host to a wide variety of show-business celebrities. He and Bettie had a holiday home at
Pittwater, where he enjoyed surf fishing.
Italian connection Thomas's first direct involvement with Italy was immediately post-war when he was stirred by the plight of "Displaced Persons" (refugees) to involve himself in the Inter-governmental Committee for European Migration, and used his pen and microphone to welcome the flood of unemployed Italian migrants to Australia. Later he was involved with the refugees in the
November 1980 earthquake disaster in Naples. As chairman of the Guild of Travel Writers in London, he helped raise donations for the relief fund. Thomas and his wife Bettie owned an apartment in a 14th-century house on the
Isola Tiberina in the middle of the
River Tiber, where they holidayed every year.
Television Thomas was one of television's pioneers, acting for
John Logie Baird in a basement studio in the BBC's "
Broadcasting House" complex. In 1956 he was the first UK commentator in the
First Eurovision Song Contest. He continued to be associated with TV in the United Kingdom until his death in 1991. ==Recognition==