St Albans by-election, 1943
Encyclopedia
The St Albans by-election of 1943 was a parliamentary by-election
held in England in October 1943 for the House of Commons constituency
of St Albans
in Hertfordshire
.
The by-election was held to fill the vacancy caused when the town's 45-year Conservative Party
Member of Parliament
(MP) Sir Francis Fremantle
died suddenly at home on 26 August, aged 71. Fremantle had held the seat since a by-election in 1919
.
, who was then serving in the Royal Air Force
. Grimston was the son and heir of 4th Earl of Verlam
, and a cousin of the Assistant Postmaster-General
Robert Grimston
MP.
In accordance with an electoral truce between the parties in the wartime coalition government, neither the Liberal
nor Labour
parties nominated a candidate.
However, the dramatist William Douglas-Home
, who was then an officer of the Royal Armoured Corps
and an opponent of the policy of requiring the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, announced that he would stand as an independent
candidate.
Polling day (if a vote was needed) was set for 14 October.
Nominations closed on 5 October, when Douglas-Home abandoned his plans to stand, because the necessary permission from the Army Council
had not been received, despite an application having been made on 22 September. However, a statement from the Army Council said that permission had been granted that afternoon, and blamed the delay on Douglas-Home not marking the application as urgent. Douglas-Home's agent R.T.A Cornwell was unable to contact the would-be candidate to let him know that permission had finally been granted, because Douglas-Home was away on "some protracted military exercise". He had come up to London in a torn battledress
in the morning, and had left after announcing his withdrawal.
by the Labour candidate Cyril Dumpleton
. However, he regained the seat at the 1950 general election
, and held it until he retired from the House of Commons at the 1959 general election
. He succeeded to the peerage the following year as the 6th Earl of Verulam
.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held in England in October 1943 for the House of Commons 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 St Albans
St Albans (UK Parliament constituency)
St Albans is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Established in 1885, it is a county constituency in Hertfordshire, and elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.From 1554 to 1852 there was a...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
.
The by-election was held to fill the vacancy caused when the town's 45-year Conservative Party
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) Sir Francis Fremantle
Francis Edward Fremantle
Lieutenant-colonel Sir Francis Edward Fremantle, OBE, DL, FRCS, FRCP was a British physician and Conservative Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament for St Albans from 1919 until his death....
died suddenly at home on 26 August, aged 71. Fremantle had held the seat since a by-election in 1919
St Albans by-election, 1919
The St Albans by-election of 1919 was a parliamentary by-election held in England in December 1919 for the House of Commons constituency of St Albans in Hertfordshire....
.
Candidates
The Conservative Party nominated as its candidate, 31-year-old John GrimstonJohn Grimston, 6th Earl of Verulam
John Grimston, 6th Earl of Verulam , known as the Honourable John Grimston until 1960, was a British peer and Conservative Member of Parliament ....
, who was then serving in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. Grimston was the son and heir of 4th Earl of Verlam
James Grimston, 4th Earl of Verulam
James Walter Grimston, 4th Earl of Verulam was a British peer, electrical engineer and businessman, sometimes identified with the fringes of the intelligence service....
, and a cousin of the Assistant Postmaster-General
Assistant Postmaster-General
The Assistant Postmaster General is a defunct junior ministerial position in the United Kingdom Government.The title of Postmaster General was abolished under the Post Office Act 1969...
Robert Grimston
Robert Grimston, 1st Baron Grimston of Westbury
Robert Villiers Grimston, 1st Baron Grimston of Westbury was a British Conservative politician.The eldest son of the Rev. and Hon...
MP.
In accordance with an electoral truce between the parties in the wartime coalition government, neither the Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
nor Labour
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...
parties nominated a candidate.
However, the dramatist William Douglas-Home
William Douglas-Home
William Douglas Home was court-martialled in World War II for his refusal to obey orders as a British army officer and later became a successful British dramatist.-Early life:...
, who was then an officer of the Royal Armoured Corps
Royal Armoured Corps
The Royal Armoured Corps is currently a collection of ten regular regiments, mostly converted from old horse cavalry regiments, and four Yeomanry regiments of the Territorial Army...
and an opponent of the policy of requiring the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany, announced that he would stand as an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
candidate.
Polling day (if a vote was needed) was set for 14 October.
Nominations closed on 5 October, when Douglas-Home abandoned his plans to stand, because the necessary permission from the Army Council
Army Council (1904)
The Army Council is a governing board for the British military organization. It was created in 1904 along with other institutional changes made in that year to the British Army....
had not been received, despite an application having been made on 22 September. However, a statement from the Army Council said that permission had been granted that afternoon, and blamed the delay on Douglas-Home not marking the application as urgent. Douglas-Home's agent R.T.A Cornwell was unable to contact the would-be candidate to let him know that permission had finally been granted, because Douglas-Home was away on "some protracted military exercise". He had come up to London in a torn battledress
Battledress
Battledress, or fatigues in the general sense, is the type of uniform used as combat uniforms, as opposed to 'display' dress or formal uniform worn at parades and functions. It may be either monochrome or in a camouflage pattern...
in the morning, and had left after announcing his withdrawal.
Result
As the only candidate, Grimston was returned unopposed. He held the seat for only two years, until his defeat at the 1945 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
by the Labour candidate Cyril Dumpleton
Cyril Dumpleton
Cyril Walter Dumpleton JP was a British Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament for the St Albans division of Hertfordshire from 1945 to 1950.-Early life and family:...
. However, he regained the seat at the 1950 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
, and held it until he retired from the House of Commons at the 1959 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1959
This United Kingdom general election was held on 8 October 1959. It marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative Party, led by Harold Macmillan...
. He succeeded to the peerage the following year as the 6th Earl of Verulam
Earl of Verulam
Earl of Verulam is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for James Grimston, 4th Viscount Grimston. He was made Viscount Grimston at the same time. Verulam had previously represented St Albans in the House of Commons. In 1808 he had also succeeded his maternal cousin...
.
See also
- List of United Kingdom by-elections
- St Albans constituencySt Albans (UK Parliament constituency)St Albans is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Established in 1885, it is a county constituency in Hertfordshire, and elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.From 1554 to 1852 there was a...
- St Albans by-election, 1919St Albans by-election, 1919The St Albans by-election of 1919 was a parliamentary by-election held in England in December 1919 for the House of Commons constituency of St Albans in Hertfordshire....
- St Albans by-election, 1904St Albans by-election, 1904The St Albans by-election of 1904 was a parliamentary by-election held in England in February 1904 for the House of Commons. It elected a new Member of Parliament for the constituency of St Albans, a county division of Hertfordshire....