Fielding Reginald West
Encyclopedia
Fielding Reginald West was a British
Labour Party
politician.
, Yorkshire
. Following elementary education at the age of 12, he initially worked in a coal mine before becoming a clerk in a Bradford
textile factory. During the First World War he was a clerk in the Army Pay Corps. In 1916 he married Lily Noble. However, she died in childbirth.
Following the war he moved to London where he attended the Regent Street Polytechnic
and London Day Training College
, before taking up employment as a schoolteacher in at the London County Council
West Kensington Central School.
, West contested the seat of Kensington North
as a Labour Party candidate, and was elected, unseating the sitting Conservative
MP
, Percy Gates. Following the election a minority Labour government was formed. However this collapsed in 1931, and a National Government
was formed. There was also a split in the Labour Party, with supporters of the Prime Minister, Ramsay McDonald, forming a National Labour Organisation. The remainder of the party found itself in opposition to the government.
The National Government called an election in October 1931
, which they won by a landslide. West was among many Labour MPs who lost their seats, defeated by the government candidate, James Duncan
of the Conservative Party.
died. West was chosen to contest the resulting by-election for the Labour Party. In a three-cornered contest with Conservative and Communist
opponents, West was elected with a majority of 3,516 votes.
F R West died in Hammersmith Hospital in October 1935.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
Labour Party
Labour 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...
politician.
Early life
West was born in HuddersfieldHuddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. Following elementary education at the age of 12, he initially worked in a coal mine before becoming a clerk in a Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
textile factory. During the First World War he was a clerk in the Army Pay Corps. In 1916 he married Lily Noble. However, she died in childbirth.
Following the war he moved to London where he attended the Regent Street Polytechnic
University of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
and London Day Training College
Institute of Education
The Institute of Education is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom specialised in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It is the largest education research body in the United Kingdom, with...
, before taking up employment as a schoolteacher in at the London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
West Kensington Central School.
MP for Kensington North
At the 1929 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, West contested the seat of Kensington North
Kensington North (UK Parliament constituency)
Kensington North was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Kensington district of west London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
as a Labour Party candidate, and was elected, unseating the sitting 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...
MP
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,...
, Percy Gates. Following the election a minority Labour government was formed. However this collapsed in 1931, and a National Government
First National Ministry
See also First National Government 1931The First National Ministry was a coalition government formed in the United Kingdom, following the collapse of the Second MacDonald Labour Ministry in 1931.-Formation:...
was formed. There was also a split in the Labour Party, with supporters of the Prime Minister, Ramsay McDonald, forming a National Labour Organisation. The remainder of the party found itself in opposition to the government.
The National Government called an election in October 1931
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
, which they won by a landslide. West was among many Labour MPs who lost their seats, defeated by the government candidate, James Duncan
Sir James Duncan, 1st Baronet
Captain Sir James Alexander Lawson Duncan, 1st Baronet was a British Conservative and National Liberal politician....
of the Conservative Party.
MP for Hammersmith North
In March 1934 the Conservative MP for Hammersith NorthHammersmith North (UK Parliament constituency)
Hammersmith North was a borough constituency in the Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith 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....
died. West was chosen to contest the resulting by-election for the Labour Party. In a three-cornered contest with Conservative and Communist
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
opponents, West was elected with a majority of 3,516 votes.
F R West died in Hammersmith Hospital in October 1935.