Middlesbrough West by-election, 1945

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Middlesbrough West by-election, 1945 was a parliamentary by-election held on 14 May 1945 for the British House of Commons constituency of Middlesbrough West.

Contents

[edit] Previous MP

The seat had become vacant when the constituency's Liberal Member of Parliament (MP), Harcourt Johnstone (19 May 1895 – 1 March 1945) died.

Johnstone was elected unopposed as the constituency's MP at the Middlesbrough West by-election, 1940, caused by the previous Liberal MP Frank Kingsley Griffith becoming a County Court Judge. Johnstone had previously been MP for Willesden East 1923 - 1924 and South Shields 1931 - 1935.

[edit] Candidates

The election took place during the Second World War. Under an agreement between the Conservative, Labour and Liberal parties; who were participating in a wartime coalition, the party holding a seat would not be opposed by the other two at a by-election. Accordingly the Liberal Party nominated a candidate, but no Labour or Conservative representative was put forward. As no one else was nominated, there was an unopposed return and no poll took place.

The Liberal Party candidate, supporting the coalition government, was the war hero Air Vice Marshal Donald Clifford Tyndall Bennett (14 September 1910 - 15 September 1986). After winning the by-election, he only served in Parliament between May and July 1945. Bennett was defeated by a Labour candidate in the United Kingdom general election, 1945.

Bennett stood as a Liberal candidate in the Croydon North by-election, 1948 and at Norwich North in the 1950 general election. In the 1960s he was an Independent candidate at the Nuneaton by-election, 1967.

[edit] Votes

14 May 1945 by-election: Middlesbrough West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Don Bennett Unopposed N/A N/A
Liberal hold Swing N/A

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (Macmillan Press 1977)
  • Who's Who of British Members of Parliament, Volume III 1919-1945, edited by M. Stenton and S. Lees (Harvester Press 1979)