Wansbeck by-election, 1918
Encyclopedia
The Wansbeck by-election, 1918 was a parliamentary by-election
held for the House of Commons constituency of Wansbeck
in Northumberland
on 28 May 1918.
MP Charles Fenwick
, who had held the seat since the general election of 1885
.
as their candidate to replace Fenwick. Mason was a 60 year old shipping agent and shipowner with local government and community connections. He was an Alderman
of Northumberland County Council
and a Justice of the Peace
.
with Prime Minister David Lloyd George
, the Conservatives chose not to contest the by-election.
was increasingly testing the political water having advanced to 42 seats at the December 1910 general election. They decided to contest the by-election and selected a coal miner
from Ashington
, Ebenezer (Ebby) Edwards
who went on to be a mining union official and became President of the Mining Federation of Great Britain . The by-election was fought against a background of strikes
across a number of industries, increasingly led by trade union leaders at the behest of the shop stewards
. The strikes included one by munition wokers in Coventry
, by cotton workers challenging their hours of work and even by some London
police officers as they fought for recognition of their union. This trade union activity challenged the government industrially and the Labour Party, as the political arm of the trade union movement, was emboldened to challenge the government electorally.
The result was a narrow endorsement by the electorate for the government’s handling of the war effort, both in military terms and industrially on the home front
. However Labour could claim to be wresting the traditional mining vote away from the Liberals, the Northumberland Miners having affiliated to the Labour Party in 1909.
Soon after the Wansbeck result Labour’s National Executive Committee formally refused to renew the wartime truce between the political parties. Edwards took on Mason again for Labour at the 1918 general election
but with a larger electorate and the national swing behind him, Mason increased his majority to 3,399.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held for the House of Commons constituency of Wansbeck
Wansbeck (UK Parliament constituency)
Wansbeck is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
in Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
on 28 May 1918.
Vacancy
The by-election was caused by the death on 20 April 1918 of the sitting Lib-LabLiberal-Labour (UK)
The Liberal–Labour movement refers to the practice of local Liberal associations accepting and supporting candidates who were financially maintained by trade unions...
MP Charles Fenwick
Charles Fenwick
Charles Fenwick was a British trade unionist and Liberal–Labour politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1918....
, who had held the seat since the general election of 1885
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
.
Liberals
Wansbeck Liberal Association adopted Alderman Robert MasonRobert Mason (Liberal politician)
Robert Mason was a British Liberal Party politician.-Family:Mason was born at Belford in Northumberland. In 1884, he married Rosa Elizabeth Thompson and they had two sons and three daughters. Their home was Marden House in Whitley Bay.-Career:Mason was a shipping agent and shipowner by profession...
as their candidate to replace Fenwick. Mason was a 60 year old shipping agent and shipowner with local government and community connections. He was an Alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
of Northumberland County Council
Northumberland County Council
Northumberland County Council is a unitary authority in North East England. It was originally formed in 1889 as the council for the administrative county of Northumberland and reformed in 1974 to cover a the newly formed non-metropolitan county of Northumberland...
and a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
.
Conservatives
As participants in the wartime coalitionCoalition Government 1916-1922
The Coalition Government of David Lloyd George came to power in the United Kingdom in December 1916, replacing the earlier wartime coalition under H.H. Asquith, which had been held responsible for reverses during the Great War. Those Liberals who continued to support Asquith served as the Opposition...
with Prime Minister David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
, the Conservatives chose not to contest the by-election.
Labour
Despite the Lib-Lab tradition in Wansbeck, and the fact that Fenwick had been unopposed at the last general election, the Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
was increasingly testing the political water having advanced to 42 seats at the December 1910 general election. They decided to contest the by-election and selected a coal miner
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
from Ashington
Ashington
Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England with a population of around 27,000 people; it was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is located some north of Newcastle upon Tyne off the A189. The south of the town is bordered by the River Wansbeck...
, Ebenezer (Ebby) Edwards
who went on to be a mining union official and became President of the Mining Federation of Great Britain . The by-election was fought against a background of strikes
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
across a number of industries, increasingly led by trade union leaders at the behest of the shop stewards
Union steward
A union representative, union steward, or shop steward is an employee of an organization or company, who represents and defends the interests of her/his fellow employees but who is also a labor union official...
. The strikes included one by munition wokers in Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, by cotton workers challenging their hours of work and even by some London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
police officers as they fought for recognition of their union. This trade union activity challenged the government industrially and the Labour Party, as the political arm of the trade union movement, was emboldened to challenge the government electorally.
The result
Mason retained the seat for the Coalition government with a majority of 547 votes over Edwards.The result was a narrow endorsement by the electorate for the government’s handling of the war effort, both in military terms and industrially on the home front
Home front
Home front is the informal term commonly used to describe the civilian populace of the nation at war as an active support system of their military....
. However Labour could claim to be wresting the traditional mining vote away from the Liberals, the Northumberland Miners having affiliated to the Labour Party in 1909.
Soon after the Wansbeck result Labour’s National Executive Committee formally refused to renew the wartime truce between the political parties. Edwards took on Mason again for Labour at the 1918 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
but with a larger electorate and the national swing behind him, Mason increased his majority to 3,399.
The votes
See also
- List of United Kingdom by-elections
- United Kingdom by-election recordsUnited Kingdom by-election recordsUK by-election records is an annotated list of notable records from UK Parliamentary by-elections. A by-election occurs when a Member of Parliament resigns, dies, or is disqualified or expelled, and an election is held to fill the vacant seat...
- Wansbeck by-election, 1929Wansbeck by-election, 1929The Wansbeck by-election, 1929 was a by-election held on 13th February 1929 for the British House of Commons constituency of Wansbeck.The by-election was triggered by the death the constituency's Labour Party Member of Parliament George Warne, who had held the seat since the 1922 general...
- Wansbeck by-election, 1940Wansbeck by-election, 1940The Wansbeck by-election, 1940 was a by-election held in England on 22 July 1940 for the House of Commons constituency of Wansbeck in Northumberland.-Vacancy:...