Kilmarnock by-election, 1946

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The Kilmarnock by-election, 1946 was a by-election held on 5 December 1946 for the British House of Commons constituency of Kilmarnock in Ayrshire.

Vacancy

The seat had become vacant on 2 October 1946 when the Labour Member of Parliament (MP), Clarice Shaw had resigned her seat. She died on 27 October at the age of 63.

Shaw had held the seat since the general election in July 1945, but ill-health had prevented her from ever attending the House of Commons.

Candidates

The Labour Party candidate was 35-year-old Willie Ross, a schoolteacher before World War II who was recently demobilised from the British Army, where he had risen to the rank of Major. At the 1945 general election he had unsuccessfully contested the Ayr Burghs constituency.

The Unionist candidate was Lieutenant-Colonel George E. O. Walker, who had also been the Unionist candidate at the general election. The Scottish National Party fielded George Dott.

Result

The result was a victory for Ross, who held the seat with a fractionally increased share of the vote. He held the seat until he stepped down at the 1979 general election, having been Secretary of State for Scotland for two periods totalling 8 years.

Votes

Kilmarnock by-election, 5 December 1946
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Willie Ross	22,456	59.7	+0.3
	Unionist	George E. O. Walker	12,239	32.5	−8.1
	SNP	George Dott	2,932	7.8	N/A
Majority			10,217	27.2	+8.4
Turnout			37,627	68.4	−7.7
	Labour hold		Swing	+4.2

General Election, July 1945: Kilmarnock
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Clarice Shaw	23,837	59.4	+26.0
	Unionist	G. E. O. Walker	16,300	40.6	N/A
Majority			7,537	18.8
Turnout			40,137	76.1	−2.7
	Labour gain from National Labour		Swing	N/A

Sources

Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3rd edition ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs

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1945	October: Smethwick Ashton-under-Lyne Edinburgh East Monmouth City Of London November: Bromley Bournemouth Kensington South December: Tottenham North

1946	January: Preston February: South Ayrshire Glasgow Cathcart Heywood and Radcliffe Hemsworth March: Combined English Universities June: Ogmore Down July: Bexley Pontypool Battersea North August: Glasgow Bridgeton November: Rotherhithe Paddington North Aberdeen South Combined Scottish Universities December: Aberdare Kilmarnock

1947	February: Normanton May: Jarrow September: Liverpool Edge Hill September: Islington West November: Gravesend Edinburgh East Howdenshire December: Epsom

1948	January: Glasgow Camlachie February: Paisley March: Wigan Armagh Croydon North Brigg Southwark Central September: Glasgow Gorbals October: Stirling and Falkirk November: Edmonton Glasgow Hillhead

1949	February: Batley and Morley Hammersmith South March: St Pancras North Sowerby July: Leeds West December: Bradford South

Lists of UK by-elections 1801–1806 1806–1818 1818–1832 1832–1847 1847–1857 1857–1868 1868–1885 1885–1900 1900–1918 1918–1931 1931–1950 1950–1979 1979–present

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