Chelmsford by-election, 1945
Encyclopedia
The Chelmsford by-election, 1945 was a by-election
held on 26 April 1945 for the British House of Commons
constituency
of Chelmsford
in Essex. The seat was won by Ernest Millington for the short-lived Common Wealth Party
.
The seat had become vacant after the previous Conservative
Member of Parliament
(MP), Colonel John Macnamara
, was killed on active service in Italy
on 22 December 1944.
During World War II
, the major parties had agreed an electoral pact under which they would not contest by-elections in seats held by their respective parties, and as a result many wartime by-elections resulting in a candidate being returned unopposed. However, other parties and independent politicians were free to field candidates.
The Conservative candidate, Flight Lieutenant Brian Cook
, had complete all-party coalition backing, having been endorsed by Clement Attlee
, Ernest Brown
, the leader of the Liberal National Party
, Sir Archibald Sinclair, the Liberal party leader, and Winston Churchill
. Chelmsford had been a safe Conservative seat.
Wing commander
Ernest Millington, DFC
was approached to stand as the Common Wealth candidate. With no Labour or Liberal candidate due to the war-time coalition truce, he transformed the Tory majority of 16,624, winning by 6,431 votes. The victory signalled the shift in public opinion that led the Labour party to pull out of the wartime coalition government and win a landslide victory in the 5 July 1945 general election.
When the 29-year-old Millington took his seat, he was the youngest MP in the House, which had been elected in 1935.
Cook, as Brian Batsford, was elected as Tory MP for Ealing South
at a by-election on 12 June 1958 and held the seat until it was abolished for the February 1974 general election
.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 26 April 1945 for the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
constituency
United Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
of Chelmsford
Chelmsford (UK Parliament constituency)
Chelmsford is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From the 2010 general election it has elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
in Essex. The seat was won by Ernest Millington for the short-lived Common Wealth Party
Common Wealth Party
The Common Wealth Party was a socialist political party in the United Kingdom in the Second World War. Thereafter, it continued in being, essentially as a pressure group, until 1993.-The war years:...
.
The seat had become vacant after the previous Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP), Colonel John Macnamara
John Macnamara
Colonel John Robert Jermain Macnamara was a British Conservative Party politician and British Army officer who was killed in Italy during the Second World War....
, was killed on active service in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
on 22 December 1944.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the major parties had agreed an electoral pact under which they would not contest by-elections in seats held by their respective parties, and as a result many wartime by-elections resulting in a candidate being returned unopposed. However, other parties and independent politicians were free to field candidates.
The Conservative candidate, Flight Lieutenant Brian Cook
Brian Batsford
Sir Brian Caldwell Cook Batsford was a British painter, designer, publisher and Conservative Party politician. Born in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire as Brian Caldwell Cook, he adopted his mother's maiden name in 1946.In 1928 he began working for the production department of the publishing firm...
, had complete all-party coalition backing, having been endorsed by Clement Attlee
Clement Attlee
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS was a British Labour politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955...
, Ernest Brown
Ernest Brown
Alfred Ernest Brown CH was a British politician who served as leader of the Liberal Nationals from 1940 until 1945.-Biography:...
, the leader of the Liberal National Party
Liberal National Party
The Liberal National Party is a political party in Queensland, Australia. It was formed on 26 July 2008 by the merger of the Queensland divisions of the Liberal and National parties.-History:...
, Sir Archibald Sinclair, the Liberal party leader, and Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
. Chelmsford had been a safe Conservative seat.
Wing commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
Ernest Millington, DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
was approached to stand as the Common Wealth candidate. With no Labour or Liberal candidate due to the war-time coalition truce, he transformed the Tory majority of 16,624, winning by 6,431 votes. The victory signalled the shift in public opinion that led the Labour party to pull out of the wartime coalition government and win a landslide victory in the 5 July 1945 general election.
When the 29-year-old Millington took his seat, he was the youngest MP in the House, which had been elected in 1935.
Cook, as Brian Batsford, was elected as Tory MP for Ealing South
Ealing South (UK Parliament constituency)
Ealing South was a parliamentary constituency in what was then the Municipal Borough of Ealing in west London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system....
at a by-election on 12 June 1958 and held the seat until it was abolished for the February 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
.