The 1939 Colne Valley by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 27 July 1939 for the

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...

constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger State (polity), state (a country, administrative region, ...

Colne Valley The Colne Valley is a steep sided valley on the east flank of the Pennine Hills in the English county of West Yorkshire. It takes its name from the River Colne which rises above the town of Marsden and flows eastward towards Huddersfield. ...

Previous MP

Ernest Marklew, who had been a Councillor in Grimsby, was first elected as MP for Colne Valley in 1935 when he gained the seat from the Liberal party. He died on 14 June 1939, forcing a by-election on the Labour party.

Previous Result

Candidates

The Labour party selected 52-year-old

Glenvil Hall 150px, Hall, 1951 William George Glenvil Hall (4 April 1887 – 13 October 1962) was a British barrister and Labour politician. He was elected at the 1929 general election as Member of Parliament (MP) for Portsmouth Central, but lost his se ...

to defend the seat. He had been Labour MP for Portsmouth Central from 1929 to 1931. The Liberal party selected 34-year-old

Lance Mallalieu Sir Edward Lancelot Mallalieu (14 March 1905 – 11 November 1979), known as Lance Mallalieu, was a British politician. Of Huguenot origin, a son of Frederick Mallalieu, a Member of Parliament, Mallalieu's ancestors had settled at Saddleworth ...

to fight the seat. He had been the MP for the seat from 1931 until defeated by Marklew at the last General Election in 1935. The Conservative party selected 41-year-old

Cecil Pike Cecil Frederick Pike (26 February 1898 – 12 May 1968) was a British politician. Born in Bromley, Kent, after studying at Owens College in Manchester, Pike joined the Conservative Party. He stood unsuccessfully for the party in Rother Valley a ...

as their new candidate. He had been Conservative MP for Sheffield Attercliffe from 1931 to 1935.

Result

Aftermath

Hall continued as MP for Colne Valley until his death in 1962. He served as Financial Secretary to the Treasury in the 1945-50 Labour government. Mallalieu left the Liberal party for Labour before being elected Labour MP for Brigg in 1948. Pike did not contest another election.

References

* ''British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949'', compiled and edited by F.W.S. Craig (The Macmillan Press 1979) {{By-elections to the 37th UK Parliament 1939 in England Elections in Kirklees Colne Valley 1939 elections in the United Kingdom By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in West Yorkshire constituencies 1930s in Yorkshire