1939 Hythe by-election

The 1939 Hythe by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 20 July 1939 for the British House of Commons constituency of Hythe.

1939 Hythe by-election

20 July 1939

Constituency of Hythe
Turnout62.4% (Decrease 5.9%)
  First party Second party
 
Lib
Candidate Rupert Brabner Frank Ongley Darvall
Party Conservative Liberal
Popular vote 12,016 9,577
Percentage 54.2% 43.2%
Swing Decrease 9.7% Increase 7.1%

MP before election

Philip Sassoon
Conservative

Elected MP

Rupert Brabner
Conservative

Previous MP

The vacancy was caused by the death of the Conservative MP, Sir Philip Sassoon, 3rd Baronet.

Previous result

General election, 14 November 1935[1] Electorate: 35,205
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Philip Sassoon 15,359 63.9
Liberal Richard Hathaway Ellis 8,688 36.1
Majority 6,671 27.8
Turnout 24,047 68.3
Conservative hold Swing

Candidates

  • The Conservatives selected a London County Councillor, Rupert Brabner, to defend the seat.
  • Hythe was not one of the Liberal Party's better prospects. They drafted a new candidate for the by-election: 33-year-old Frank Darvall, who had been selected as the prospective candidate for the more winnable Dorset East. He had been the Liberal candidate for the Ipswich Division of Suffolk at the 1929 general election and for the King’s Lynn Division of Norfolk at the 1935 general election. He was President of the National Union of Students from 1927–29.
  • As in the 1935 general election campaign, the Hythe Labour Party chose not to run a candidate. However, a former Labour party member did contest the election: St John Philby stood as a candidate for the newly formed British People's Party, a right-wing anti-war party that broke away from the British Union of Fascists.

Result

Hythe by-election, 1939[1] Electorate 35,535
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Rupert Brabner 12,016 54.2 -9.7
Liberal Frank Ongley Darvall 9,577 43.2 +7.1
British People's St John Philby 576 2.6 New
Majority 2,439 11.0 -16.8
Turnout 22,169 62.4 -5.9
Conservative hold Swing -8.4

Aftermath

Rupert Brabner served as a junior Government Minister. He died on active service with the RNVR early in 1945. Frank Darvall had planned to contest Hythe at a 1939 or 1940 general election, but never stood for Parliament again. St. John Philby also disappeared from the electoral scene along with the British People's Party, which never contested an election again.

General election, 5 July 1945[1] Electorate 23,575
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Harry Mackeson 8,048 46.5 -7.7
Labour David Graham Widdiscombe 6,091 35.2 New
Liberal Arthur Dyke Beauchamp James 3,152 18.2 -25.0
Majority 1,957 11.3 +0.3
Turnout 17,291 73.3 +10.9
Conservative hold Swing

References

  1. British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig
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