The 1944 West Derbyshire by-election was held on 17 February 1944. The by-election was held due to the resignation of the incumbent

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 ...

MP,

Henry Hunloke Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Philip Hunloke TD (27 December 1906 – 13 January 1978) was a British Conservative politician. Early life Hunloke was born in Marylebone, London, the only son of Philip Hunloke and the former Sylvia Heseltine. He ...

. Hunloke was the brother-in-law of

Edward Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire Edward William Spencer Cavendish, 10th Duke of Devonshire, (6 May 1895 – 26 November 1950), known as the Marquess of Hartington from 1908 to 1938, was a British politician. He was the head of the Devonshire branch of the House of Cavend ...

, who had held the seat from 1923 until 1938, when he succeeded to his title and was replaced by Hunloke. The seat had been held previously by Hunloke's father-in-law (1891-1908, before becoming the 9th Duke), and by the 9th Duke's brother-in-law, the future 6th Marquess of Lansdowne (1908-1918). This control by the Cavendish family had been interrupted in 1918-1923 by Charles Frederick White, who was elected as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

. White died in 1923. His son, also Charles Frederick White, had stood for the seat in the 1938 by-election as a

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

candidate, but lost to Hunloke by 5,500 votes. The resignation of Hunloke was due to the imminent collapse of his marriage (he was divorced from his Cavendish wife the next year and remarried immediately). The Conservative Party then selected the

Marquess of Hartington A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

, the 10th Duke's eldest son and heir, as their candidate. The major parties had formed a national unity government 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 ...

and agreed that no by-elections would be contested during the war. In contravention of this agreement, Charles Frederick White stood in the by-election as an Independent Labour candidate. In an acrimonious campaign, White pressed for social change, securing the support of local Labour activists.''The Derbyshire Labour Movement: 1939-1945''
accessed 14 May 2016 White won, defeating Cavendish by over 4,000 votes, a swing of 9,000 from 1938. Once in Parliament, White took the official Labour

whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

References

1944 elections in the United Kingdom 1944 in England 1940s in Derbyshire By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Derbyshire constituencies {{England-UK-Parl-by-election-stub