The 1945 Caernarvon Boroughs by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 26 April 1945 for the British House of Commons constituency of

Caernarvon Boroughs Caernarfon was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Caernarfon in Wales. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system. The constituency was created in 1536 as a District of Boroughs, represented in ...

Previous MP

The seat had become vacant when the constituency's

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 ...

Member of Parliament (MP),

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during ...

(1863–1945) had been elevated to the peerage as the 1st

Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor is a title in the peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1945 for Liberal Party (UK), Liberal parliamentarian David Lloyd George who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1908 to 1915 and Prime Minister ...

in January 1945. He died two months later, on 26 March 1945, before the by-election took place. Lloyd George was first elected as the constituency's MP at the

1890 Caernarvon Boroughs by-election The 1890 Caernarvon Boroughs by-election was a parliamentary by-election held on 10 April 1890 for the British House of Commons constituency of Caernarvon Boroughs. Previous MP The seat had become vacant when the previous Conservative Member ...

, caused by the death of the previous

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 in ...

MP. During a long and distinguished political career the former MP had served in many high offices, notably as Chancellor of the Exchequer 1908–1915 and

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern ...

1916–1922. He had led the Liberal Party, after the retirement of

H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom f ...

, from 1926 to 1931.

Candidates

The election took place during the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

. Under an agreement between the

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 ...

and Liberal parties, who were participating in a wartime coalition, the party holding a seat would not be opposed by the other two at a by-election. Accordingly, the Liberal Party nominated a candidate, but no Labour or Conservative representative was put forward.

Plaid Cymru Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom. Plaid wa ...

, which was not party to the electoral agreement, selected a candidate; so a contested poll took place. Two candidates were nominated. The list below is set out in descending order of the number of votes received at the by-election. 1. The Liberal Party candidate, supporting the coalition government, was 40-year old

Seaborne Davies David Richard Seaborne Davies (26 June 1904 – 26 October 1984) was a Welsh law teacher who served briefly as a Liberal Party Member of Parliament (MP). Early life Davies was born in Pwllheli, and attended the local grammar school followed by ...

(1904–1984). After winning the by-election, he served in Parliament between April and July 1945 only, as he was defeated by a Conservative candidate in the 1945 United Kingdom general election. 2. Representing Plaid Cymru was Prof. J E Daniel. He also contested Caernarvon Boroughs in the 1945 general election.

Previous MP

Candidates

Result

See also

References

Further reading