1946 Kilmarnock by-election

The 1946 Kilmarnock by-election was a by-election held on 5 December 1946 for the House of Commons constituency of Kilmarnock in Ayrshire.

Vacancy

The seat had become vacant on 2 October 1946 when the Labour Member of Parliament (MP), Clarice Shaw had resigned her seat. She died on 27 October at the age of 63.

Shaw had held the seat since the general election in July 1945, but ill-health had prevented her from ever attending the House of Commons.

Candidates

The Labour Party candidate was 35-year-old Willie Ross, a schoolteacher before World War II who was recently demobilised from the British Army, where he had risen to the rank of Major. At the 1945 general election he had unsuccessfully contested the Ayr Burghs constituency.

The Unionist candidate was Lieutenant-Colonel George E. O. Walker, who had also been the Unionist candidate at the general election. The Scottish National Party fielded George Dott.

Result

The result was a victory for Ross, who held the seat with a fractionally increased share of the vote. He held the seat until he stepped down at the 1979 general election, having been Secretary of State for Scotland for two periods totalling 8 years.

Votes

Kilmarnock by-election, 5 December 1946

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Willie Ross	22,456	59.7	+0.3
	Unionist	George E. O. Walker	12,239	32.5	−8.1
	SNP	George Dott	2,932	7.8	New
Majority			10,217	27.2	+8.4
Turnout			37,627	68.4	−7.7
	Labour hold		Swing	+4.2

Previous election

General election, July 1945: Kilmarnock

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Clarice Shaw	23,837	59.4	+26.0
	Unionist	G. E. O. Walker	16,300	40.6	New
Majority			7,537	18.8	N/A
Turnout			40,137	76.1	−2.7
	Labour gain from National Labour		Swing	N/A

See also

• Kilmarnock (UK Parliament constituency)
• Kilmarnock
• 1929 Kilmarnock by-election
• 1933 Kilmarnock by-election
• List of United Kingdom by-elections (1931–1950)
• Elections in Scotland

Sources

• Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs