It is this side of his life that will be recalled thanks to the November 22 Medals, Bonds, Banknotes and Coins auction at Bonhams in Knightsbridge.
Among a lot estimated at £7000-9000 are Flight-Lieutenant Wolstenholme's Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar, wartime medals and two RAF logbooks.
Not that his post-war TV is ignored, however: also in this lot is the John Logie Baird Medal presented to him at the Baird Festival of Television for Outstanding Contribution in April 1964.
They have been consigned by an anonymous vendor.
RAF call-up
Before the war Wolstenholme had been a journalist on the Manchester Evening News and as a member of the RAF Volunteer Reserve he was soon called up.
After flight training his first operation came in March 1941.
The London Gazette DFC citation in June 1944 says: “Before joining PFF [Pathfinder Force] 15 months ago Flight Lieutenant Wolstenholme had made 14 low-level daylight attacks. Since that time he has brought his total sorties to 61, including 24 marker sorties. During recent months he has on many occasions been the mainstay of the markers and his remarkably accurate bombing runs have fully warranted his responsible position.”
When the Bar was awarded (winning the DFC a second time), another March 1945 citation added: “Following a first tour on Blenheim and Mosquito aircraft which included a number of low-level daylight missions, F/L. Wolstenholme commenced operating with Path Finder Force in July 1943, since when he has completed a further 58 sorties, many of these being marker sorties.
“During the whole of his operational career he has displayed noteworthy ability as a pilot and has shown himself to be possessed to an outstanding degree of courage, judgement and tenacity of purpose. He has achieved results of the highest order, even under the most adverse conditions.”
In short, Wolstenholme had an excellent – and gruelling – RAF service, completing over 1500 hours of flying. He was in constant danger. For example, On March 21, 1941, when attacking Heligoland his aircraft was badly damaged and his Air Observer killed.
TV stardom
He worked freelance post-war before joining the BBC in 1947. Wolstenholme commentated on English domestic football's most famous games of the 1950s and ‘60s, including the first-ever game featured on Match of the Day in 1964. He covered every FA Cup final between 1949-71, the year of Arsenal’s ‘double’.
For the BBC he commentated on the 1960 European Cup final between Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt at Hampden Park, widely regarded as one of the greatest football matches ever played. Further highlights include his presence in the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon as Celtic overcame Internazionale in the 1967 European Cup final, at Wembley as Manchester United defeated Benfica to capture the 1968 European Cup and also as the BBC's main man at the 1970 World Cup, commentating on the final between Brazil and Italy.
Wolstenholme left the corporation in 1971 after David Coleman was installed as the BBC's top commentator, his final BBC commentary being on the 1971 European Cup final between Ajax and Panathinaikos at Wembley Stadium.
He will be best remembered, though, for those impromptu words he used with impeccable timing as the 1966 World Cup final came to a conclusion during injury time, as a small pitch invasion took place just as Geoff Hurst scored to put England 4–2 ahead.
