- Windsor by-election, 1942
The Windsor by-election, 1942 was a
by-election held for theBritish House of Commons constituency of Windsor inBerkshire on30 June 1942 . The by-election was won by the Conservative candidate Charles Mott-Radclyffe.Vacancy
The Conservative MP
Annesley Somerville had died on15 May 1942 , aged 84. He had held the seat since the 1922 general election, and had been returned unopposed in 1931 and 1935.Candidates
The Conservative candidate was 30-year-old
Charles Mott-Radclyffe , who had not had previously contested a parliamentary election.During
World War II , the political parties in the Coalition Government had agreed not to contest by-elections when a vacancy arose in any of the seats held by the other coalition parties. However, many by-elections were contested by independent or minor party candidates, and in Windsor the dramatistWilliam Douglas-Home stood as an "Independent Progressive" candidate, opposingWinston Churchill 's war aim of anunconditional surrender byGermany . [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/50977 William Douglas-Home] in theDictionary of National Biography ] .The younger brother of future Prime Minister
Alec Douglas-Home , he had contested the Glasgow Cathcart by-election in April 1942. ASecond Lieutenant in theRoyal Armoured Corps , he had supportedappeasement in the 1930s.Result
On a low turnout, Mott-Radclyffe held the seat for the Conservatives, but with a majority of only 17%, a surprisingly good result for Douglas-Home. Mott-Radclyffe served as Windsor's MP until he retired from the House of Commons at the 1970 general election
Douglas-Home went on to contest the Clay Cross by-election in April
1944 , where he came a poor third, and was later imprisoned for a year withhard labour after beingcourt-martial led for refusing to fight in the attack onLe Havre after the allied forces had refused a German request to suspend hostilities to allow civilian evacuation.Votes
Election box begin
title=By-Election 30 June 1942: WindsorElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate =Charles Edward Mott-Radclyffe
votes = 9,557
percentage = 58.37
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent Progressive
candidate = Hon. William Douglas-Home
votes = 6,817
percentage = 41.63
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 2,740
percentage = 16.73
change = "N/A"Election box turnout
votes = 16,374
percentage = 27.88
change = "N/A"Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = "N/A"Election box Registered electors
reg. electors = 58,726Election box begin
title=General Election 1935: WindsorElection box candidate with party link
party = Conservative Party (UK)
candidate = Annesley Ashworth Somerville
votes = Unopposed
percentage = "N/A"
change = "N/A"Election box hold with party link
winner = Conservative Party (UK)
swing = "N/A"ee also
*
Windsor (UK Parliament constituency)
*Windsor, Berkshire
*List of United Kingdom by-elections (1931–1950) Notes
References
*
*Rayment
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