Only he or she knows from where the inspiration comes as they set to work. Each brush stroke becomes a stroke of genius that elevates them to greatness.
 
They visualise their creation and then, with meticulous detail, set about transferring that vision into a work of art - a masterpiece.

Harold Wolfe was an artist, but of the written word. He was meticulous in everything he did. A visionary, too, in that great sport of cricket he loved so much, and he was someone who left an indelible mark on so many in the wonderful life he enjoyed.

A journalist, a soldier, an administrator, a librarian, keeping records and statistics, of books and cuttings of so many sporting occasions down an entire lifetime - and, of course, a devoted family man.

For some, deciding on a career path requires great thought. Not for Harold.

Newspaper background 

With his family background in local newspapers, journalism was the only career. His father, John, was chief sub editor, first with the old Liverpool Courier, then the Daily Post. His brother was the editor of the Sporting Express, while his mother worked in the composing room at the Courier around the turn of the century.

During his time at school when he was a pupil at Liscard High, Harold would accompany his father to Anfield or Goodison every Saturday, sitting alongside him in the Press Box. Even at such an early age the journalistic bug had grabbed him. He took a job at the Echo at 17 in the reference library, before becoming a junior reporter on the Birkenhead News.

Harold joined the Echo Sports staff in 1937, and for the next 43 years worked as a sub editor, became involved on the production side, was local cricket correspondent and, of course, penned the ’It’s A Fact’ column.

Harold was a natural gatherer of sporting trivia, records, statistics, cuttings and books on almost every sport.
The column became a Merseyside institution. His answers to sporting queries would settle arguments; his answers would often serve as the adjudication in bets - he never told us if anyone ever sent him a percentage of their winnings! - and he proved to be the Echo’s sporting answer to the Brains Trust.

When he was stumped for an answer he would refer to the Echo’s vast archives and reference books and, failing that, would seek out the answer from a vast array of books and records at the Echo’s branch library at 4 St Hilary Drive.
He was a highly respected journalist and it didn’t matter how testing readers made their questions. Harold always came up with the answer and thousands of Merseyside sporting fans have been indebted to him down the years.

He set high standards and wasn’t slow to tell Echo sports colleagues when they had made mistake. You knew it was coming, too. When I joined the Echo in the early Seventies, Harold would often call me “Dave” when he wanted to engage in conversation or confirm something in a report. But when he referred to you as “Mr Jones,” you knew you were going to be ticked off about something. But it was all part of the learning process.
 
It was his ability to write in shorthand and use a typewriter that earned him a posting to the General Staff (Operations) branch at 21st Army Group headquarters during the Second World War. The HQ was responsible for the planning of D-Day. He was head of a Top Secret typing pool, working in a room which no unauthorised person was allowed to enter. He sent out vital messages from high command.

Historic Message 

Harold was involved in all the events leading up to the surrender. He became chief clerk to Field Marshall Montgomery’s Chief of Staff, and the most momentous of all the signals he typed was the order to end all offensive operations immediately and for all troops under Montgomery’s command to cease fire the next morning.

Harold typed out five copies of that historic message and one of those was eventually put on display at the Imperial War Museum. But it is not necessarily regarded as the original. Where that went, well, only Harold would know.
It was often said that Monty had his Fox-hounds, but he also had his Wolfe-hound, so important a role Harold fulfilled in that war office.

By the time he was demobbed, he had achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant Major.

In civvy street, Harold was a tall, dark, handsome young man, with a pencil thin moustache, and was regarded by some locally as the working man’s Ronald Colman, the British leading man of many American films.

It was not unusual for the dapper young Wolfe to dress up in smart blazer, tie and flannels and, with friend Val Rowe and others, take the sailing boat over to Llandudno.

On one particular occasion, the Miss Llandudno bathing beauty contest was taking place, and the smartly dressed group wandered into the arena to take a closer look. However, they were mistaken for the bathing beauty judges, who had been delayed - and they judged the contest with the organisers none the wiser.

Of course, his other great love was cricket, and his knowledge of the game locally was unsurpassed. He was closely connected with many clubs, including Wallasey, New Brighton and Birkenhead Park, but wherever he went he received the warmest of welcomes, invariably knowing a great many of the clubs’ committees, spectators and players. If rumour is true, it was usually around tea time when he arrived!

The Liverpool Competition

Merseyside cricket owes a tremendous debt to him for his involvement in the Liverpool Competition’s administration for 40 years. It was Harold who started to compile the fixtures for all local clubs in the Liverpool Competition from 1949, and continued to do so for the next 40 years.

Such was his vision that in the 1970s - over 35 years before the game was adopted nationally and internationally - he created a version of Twenty 20 cricket in the form of the Echo Knockout. That competition is still going strong today.

On many occasions, through the prompting of questions, Harold would regale an audience at matches, or the famous hot pot suppers, with his stories of games, the characters, the incidents, the results and, invariably the scores, such was his amazing memory. On being asked by one former distinguished local cricketer as to who was the best player he ever saw in the Competition, Harold immediately replied, “Jack Bartley, the Birkenhead Park professional in the 1930s.”

Even in the last year or two, when he had to miss a local game, he would want to know the scores, plus the results of the other matches.

His devotion to the Liverpool Competition saw him fulfil many roles as secretary, vice president, president and, subsequently, life vice president.

He also gave over 30 years service to Cheshire County Cricket Club, where he was made an honorary life member for his work on the committee.

It was in September 1959 that Grace and her Ronald Colman began life together and they enjoyed 48 years of happy marriage, being blessed with two daughters, Ann and Gillian.

His retirement from the Echo came in 1980, but Harold continued to serve the paper with his work on his famous ‘It’s A Fact’ column, which finally ceased just short of his 90th birthday - a link with the Echo of almost 70 years.

His other interests in the community included being a member of the 41 Club as an ex-Round Tabler, as well as a member of ProBus.

Inevitably, he was a proud member of Marylebone Cricket Club.

It has been a wonderful life in which he served his newspaper with great distinction; his country with great distinction and Merseyside cricket with great distinction.

Harold Wolfe. What a truly outstanding innings it has been.

Harold Wolfe, journalist; born 1916, died October 19, 2007

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