The Bridgwater by-election, 1938 was a parliamentary by-election for the British House of Commons constituency of Bridgwater, Somerset held on 17 November 1938. The by-election was triggered when Reginald Croom-Johnson, the sitting Conservative member was appointed a High Court Judge.
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On 29 September 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain had signed the Munich Agreement, handing over the Sudetenland to German control. This issue polarised British politics at the time, with many Labour supporters, Liberals, and some Conservatives strongly opposed to this policy of appeasement[1]. Many by-elections in the autumn of 1938 were fought around this issue, notably the Oxford by-election, where Liberals and Labour united in support of an Independent anti-appeasement candidate.
Vernon Bartlett was a journalist and broadcaster with extensive experience of foreign affairs. He was approached by Richard Acland, Liberal MP for Barnstaple, a seat bordering Bridgwater, about standing as an anti-appeasement candidate in the by-election[2]. Bartlett agreed to do so providing he had the support of the Liberal and Labour parties.
The Bridgwater Liberal Party unanimously backed Bartlett's candidature[3]. The local Labour Party generally supported him, although many in the Labour Party were unenthusiastic about co-operation with the Liberals[4].
The Conservative Party selected 26 year old lawyer and former Territorial Army officer Patrick Gerald Heathcoat-Amory of Tiverton as its candidate. He was thought to be assured of a sizeable agricultural vote, half of the electorate lived in rural areas at this time[5].
The campaign was intense and focused almost entirely on foreign affairs. Heathcoat-Amory supported Chamberlain's appeasement policy[6]. Bartlett opposed appeasement and was a very persuasive speaker on the subject[7]. His voice was already well known due to his radio broadcasts. His experience of foreign affairs and erudite speeches were very effective at a time when public meetings were a vital part of electioneering.
Many Liberal personalities came to support Bartlett, including Megan Lloyd George, Lady Violet Bonham Carter and Sir Charles Hobhouse. Some Labour voters were reluctant to support Bartlett, believing he was really a Liberal candidate[8]. However, he did receive a letter of support from 39 Labour MPs just before polling day.
The intensive campaign caused turnout to increase from 72.7% at the last election to 82.3%. Bartlett won the seat with a majority of 2,332 or 6.3%. He hailed the result as a defeat for Chamberlain, saying that it showed people understood the dangers of the Government's foreign policy[9].
| Bridgwater by-election, 17th November 1938 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Independent Progressive | Vernon Bartlett | 19,540 | 53.2 | +53.2 | |
| Conservative | Patrick Heathcoat-Amory | 17,208 | 46.8 | -10.1 | |
| Majority | 2,332 | 6.3 | |||
| Turnout | 36,748 | 82.3 | +9.6 | ||
| Independent Progressive gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
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