Wallace Greenslade

Wallace Greenslade was a BBC announcer and newsreader, but mostly remembered for being the straight man in The Goon Show.

He was born about 1913 at Formby in Lancashire. During the Second World War, he served as a Lieutenant-Commander in the Royal Naval Reserve for two and a half years, and was then a purser with the P&O Line before joining the staff of the BBC in 1945.

His BBC career began in the European Service , where he was a presentation assistant and news reader. In 1949 he was appointed announcer, Home Service and since November 1955 he had been a news reader in both radio and television. He was announcer for The Great Gilhooly , Star Show , The Goon Show and Variety Playhouse . In May and June of 1960 he was the compère on the Today programme.

He died suddenly at his home at Old Avenue Lodge, Weybridge, Surrey on 21 April 1961, and was buried at St Mary’s Oaklands , near Weyridge on the 27th. At the following memorial service, John Snagge of the BBC gave an address. He left a wife, Carol.

Source: The Times obituary, 22 April 1961