Kent Walton 1939, he joined the Royal Air Force, serving in Bomber Command as a radio operator and front gunner. He acquired his accent mixing with Canadian airmen. After the end of the war he returned to acting before commentating on tennis and football. He made his television wrestling commentary debut on the ITV network in November 1955, a job he kept for 33 years. At its peak in the 1970s, ITV's wrestling coverage, on "World of Sport", could command up to 12 million between the football half-time and full-time results (4–4.40pm) on Saturdays. Although fans of ITV's wrestling coverage reportedly included
Ernest Walton Hughes Medal of the Royal Society of London in 1938. In much later years – and predominantly after his retirement in 1974 – Walton received honorary degrees or conferrals from numerous Irish, British, and North American institutions. The "Walton Causeway Park" in Walton's native Dungarvan was dedicated in his honour with Walton himself attending the ceremony in 1989. After his death the Waterford Institute of Technology named a large building the "ETS Walton Building" and a plaque was placed on the site of his birthplace. Other honours for Walton include the Walton Building at Methodist College, Belfast, the school where