The 1940 Croydon North by-election was a parliamentary

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

held in 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, ...

of Croydon North on 19 June 1940. The seat had become vacant when the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

Glyn Mason Glyn Keith Murray Mason, 2nd Baron Blackford, (29 May 1887 – 31 December 1972) was a British businessman, magistrate, and Conservative politician. Background Mason was born in 1887 to Edith Mason née Affleck and William Mason (1862–1947). H ...

had

resigned Resignation is the formal act of leaving or quitting one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or choos ...

. Mason had held the seat since the 1922 general election. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the major parties had formed a

Coalition Government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...

and agreed an electoral pact, whereby they would not contest by-elections in seats held by the other parties in the government. However, there was nothing to prevent other candidates from standing, and A. L. Lucas stood in Croydon North as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

candidate. Despite a very low turnout, the Conservative candidate

Henry Willink Sir Henry Urmston Willink, 1st Baronet, (7 March 1894 – 20 July 1973) was a British politician and public servant. A Conservative Member of Parliament from 1940, he became Minister of Health in 1943. During his time in power he was appointed ...

held the seat for his party with a large majority. Lucas forfeited his deposit.

Election results

References

*Fred W. S. Craig. ''British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949''. Political Reference Publications, 1969 {{DEFAULTSORT:Croydon North By-Election, 1940 By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in London constituencies 1940 elections in the United Kingdom 1940 in England 20th century in Surrey Elections in the London Borough of Croydon By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Surrey constituencies June 1940 events

Election results

See also

References