The 1931

Ashton-Under-Lyne Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. The population was 45,198 at the 2011 census. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, in the foothills of the Pennines, east of Manche ...

by-election was held on 30 April. It was triggered by the death of the town's Labour MP,

Albert Bellamy Albert Bellamy (1870 – 26 March 1931) was an English trades unionist and Labour Party politician. Bellamy was born in Wigan, Lancashire and took up employment as an engine-driver for the London and North Western Railway. He became involved in ...

, and resulted in a victory for the Conservative candidate, Col John Broadbent. This was the first election contested by

Oswald Mosley Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet (16 November 1896 – 3 December 1980) was a British politician during the 1920s and 1930s who rose to fame when, having become disillusioned with mainstream politics, he turned to fascism. He was a member ...

's New Party, which had only been formed on 1 March that year after Mosley had resigned from the Labour Party. The furious crowd on the market ground by the town hall shouted down Mosley as he tried to speak after the declaration, calling him a traitor and blaming him for Labour's defeat. He is reputed to have said to his aide, John Strachey: "That is the crowd that has prevented anyone doing anything in England since the (First World) War." Strachey believed that it was at that point that British fascism was born. Mosley had been seriously ill with pleurisy and pneumonia, preventing him from taking part in the campaign until its last week. During the campaign there were huge crowds to hear Mosley's wife, Lady Cynthia, speak. However, the ''Ashton Reporter'' felt that these were artificially swelled by the many girls who wanted to admire the clothes worn by the glamorous Lady Cynthia. The Labour Party hoped to hold the seat, and narrowed its choice of possible candidates to two: Stan Awbery, an activist in the

Transport and General Workers' Union The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU or T&G) was one of the largest general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland – where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union (ATGWU) to differentiate its ...

, based in Wales, and

John William Gordon Major-General Sir John William Gordon KCB (4 November 1814 – 8 February 1870) was a British Army officer and Inspector-General of Engineers. Gordon obtained a commission in the Royal Engineers in 1823 and served in the United Kingdom, Nort ...

, an Irish-born Catholic who was chief accountant of the

National Union of Railwaymen The National Union of Railwaymen was a trade union of railway workers in the United Kingdom. The largest railway workers' union in the country, it was influential in the national trade union movement. History The NUR was an industrial union ...

. Concerns that the substantial number of Catholics in the seat might have become disillusioned with the party led to the selection of Gordon to contest the seat.

Votes

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Votes

References

See also