1939 Monmouth by-election

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1939 Monmouth by-election
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25 July 1939 (1939-07-25)

The 1939 Monmouth by-election was a by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Monmouth in Wales on 25 July 1939.

Contents

Vacancy

The Conservative MP John Herbert had resigned his seat on 1 July 1939, having been appointed as Governor of Bengal.[ citation needed ]

Previous result

General election 1935: Monmouth [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative John Herbert 23,262 63.4 −1.6
Labour Michael Mackintosh Foot 13,45436.6+1.6
Majority 9,80826.8−3.2
Turnout 36,71676.8−1.2
Registered electors 47,792
Conservative hold Swing -1.6

Candidates

The Conservative candidate was 55-year-old Leslie Pym, who had not had previously contested a parliamentary election.[ citation needed ]

The Labour Party candidate at the 1935 general election had been 22-year-old Michael Foot, who later became Leader of the Labour Party. Foot did not contest the by-election, when the Labour candidate was F.R. Hancock, who had been unsuccessful in Salisbury at the 1929 general election and at a by-election in 1931. He had also been an unsuccessful candidate in Lewes at the 1931 and 1935 general elections. [1] He was also a Quaker and thus opposed to all war.[ citation needed ]

Result

On a slightly reduced turnout, Pym held the seat for the Conservatives, with a reduced but still large majority of 5,815.

1939 Monmouth by-election [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Leslie Pym 17,358 60.1 −3.3
Labour Frank Rivers Hancock11,54339.9+3.3
Majority 5,81520.2−6.6
Turnout 28,90158.2−18.6
Registered electors 49,690
Conservative hold Swing -3.3

Aftermath

General election July 1945: Monmouth [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Leslie Pym 22,195 51.9 −8.2
Labour A. B. L. Oakley20,54348.1+8.2
Majority 1,6523.8−16.4
Turnout 42,73872.0+13.8
Registered electors 39,359
Conservative hold Swing -8.2

Pym was re-elected at the 1945 general election, but died five days later.[ citation needed ]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Craig, F. W. S. (1969). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (1 ed.). Glasgow: Political Reference Publications. ISBN   0-900178-019. Page 567

Further reading