Woolwich East (UK Parliament constituency)

Woolwich East
Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
County Greater London
19181983
Number of members One
Replaced by Woolwich
Created from Woolwich

Woolwich East was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 1983. Its seat was Woolwich, now in the Royal Borough of Greenwich in south-east London.

The constituency was formed for the 1918 general election, when the constituency of Woolwich was divided into Woolwich East and Woolwich West, and abolished in 1983 when it was largely replaced by a new Woolwich constituency. Between 1950 and 1974 it included North Woolwich on the north bank of the River Thames; this was then transferred to Newham South.

Throughout its 65-year existence, the constituency elected Labour MPs with the sole exception of a Conservative elected in a 1921 by-election.

Woolwich East in the Parliamentary County of London from 1918 to 1949.
Woolwich East in the Parliamentary County of London from 1950 to 1974.

Members of Parliament

ElectionMemberParty
1918 Will Crooks Labour
1921 by-election Robert Gee Conservative
1922 Harry Snell Labour
1931 by-election George Hicks Labour
1950 Ernest Bevin Labour
1951 by-election Christopher Mayhew Labour
1974 Liberal
Oct 1974 John Cartwright Labour
1981 SDP

Election results

Elections in the 1940s

1945 General Election: Woolwich, East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ernest George Hicks 18,983 70.4
Conservative Reginald Frederick Brittain Bennett 7,237 27.0
Independent H.H. Wright 571 2.1
Majority 11,746 43.9
Turnout 36,851 72.7
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1930s

1935 General Election: Woolwich, East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ernest George Hicks 17,563 58.0
Conservative Capt. John Francis Finn 12,721 42.0
Majority 4,842 16.0
Turnout 42,450 71.3
Labour hold Swing
1931 General Election: Woolwich, East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ernest George Hicks 16,658 50.9
Conservative Capt. John Francis Finn 16,050 49.1
Majority 608 1.8
Turnout 42,857 76.3
Labour hold Swing
Woolwich, East: by-election, 15 April 1931
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ernest George Hicks 16,200 56.7
Conservative E.S. Shrapnell-Smith 12,357 43.3
Majority 3,843 13.4
Turnout 42,886 66.6
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1920s

1929 General Election: Woolwich, East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harry Snell 20,447 63.2
Conservative Edward Shrapnell Shrapnell-Smith 11,966 36.8
Majority 8,541 26.4
Turnout 42,808 75.6
Labour hold Swing
1924 General Election: Woolwich, East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harry Snell 16,660 58.4
Conservative D.A. Gooch 11,862 41.6
Majority 4,798 16.8
Turnout 34,935 81.6
Labour hold Swing
1923 General Election: Woolwich, East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harry Snell 15,766 61.6
Conservative Ernest Augustus Taylor 9,389 38.4
Majority 5,927 23.2
Turnout 34,429 74.4
Labour hold Swing
1922 General Election: Woolwich, East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harry Snell 15,620 57.1
Conservative Capt. Robert Gee, VC 11,714 42.9
Majority 3,906 14.2
Turnout 33,993 80.4
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
Woolwich, East: by-election, 2 March 1921
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Coalition Conservative Capt. Robert Gee, VC 13,724 51.3
Labour Ramsay MacDonald 13,081 48.7
Majority 683 2.6
Turnout 34,099 78.5
Coalition Conservative gain from Labour Swing N/A

Elections in the 1910s

1918 General Election: Woolwich, East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Rt. Hon. Will Crooks unopposed
Labour gain from new seat Swing

References

    Craig, F. W. S. (1983). British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3 ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.

    Coordinates: 51°29′N 0°06′E / 51.49°N 0.10°E