Kincardineshire and West Aberdeenshire by-election, 1939

A parliamentary by-election was held on 30 March 1939 for the British House of Commons constituency of Kincardine and West Aberdeenshire.

Vacancy

The Unionist MP for the constituency, Sir Malcolm Barclay-Harvey was appointed by the Prime Minister as Governor of South Australia, whereupon he resigned from the House of Commons on 8 March.[1]

Electoral history

The seat was created in 1918 and thereafter became a Unionist/Liberal marginal. The Labour Party had never fielded a candidate. Barclay-Harvey gained it from the Liberals in 1923, lost it to the Liberals in 1929 and won it back again in 1931. The seat was held at the last election with a reduced majority;

Sir Malcolm Barclay-Harvey
General Election 1935: Kincardine & Western Aberdeenshire [2]

Electorate 29,528

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Charles Malcolm Barclay-Harvey 12,477 55.9
Liberal Arthur James Irvine 9,841 44.1
Majority
Turnout 75.6
Unionist hold Swing

Candidates

Campaign

According to the return of election expenses, the Unionists spent £835 10s 7d on their campaign and the Liberals £652 5s 8d.[3]

Result

Thornton-Kemsley held the seat with a further reduced majority.

Kincardineshire and West Aberdeenshire by-election, 1939[4]

Electorate

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Colin Norman Thornton-Kemsley 11,111 52.7 -3.2
Liberal Arthur James Irvine 9,990 47.3 +3.2
Majority 121 5.4 -6.4
Turnout 71.4 -4.2
Unionist hold Swing -3.2

Aftermath

In the 1945 general election, there was a further small swing to the Liberals but Thornton-Kemsley hung on again against a new Liberal challenger;

General Election 1945

Electorate 30,901

Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Colin Norman Thornton-Kemsley 10,932 51.5 -1.2
Liberal John Donald Brown Junor 10,290 48.5 +1.2
Majority 642 3.0 -2.4
Turnout 68.7 -2.7
Unionist hold Swing -1.2

Irvine left the Liberal Party and joined the Labour Party, being defeated in 1945 at Twickenham.

References

  1. Department of Information Services (9 June 2009). "Appointments to the Chiltern Hundreds and Manor of Northstead Stewardships since 1850" (PDF). House of Commons Library. Retrieved 30 November 2009.
  2. Whitaker's Almanack, 1939
  3. Aberdeen Journal, 11 May 1939
  4. Whitaker's Almanack, 1944
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