The 1922 Chertsey by-election was a parliamentary by-election for the British House of Commons constituency of Chertsey on 24 March 1922.
Vacancy
The by-election was caused by the death of the sitting Unionist MP, Sir Donald Macmaster on 3 March 1922. He had been MP here since winning the seat in January 1910.
Election history
Chertsey had returned Conservative or Unionist candidates at every election since the constituency was created in 1885, apart from the Liberal landslide of 1906. The result at the last general election was:
1918 general election[1]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
±%
C
Unionist
Donald Macmaster
13,531
80.7
N/A
Labour
Thomas T Linsey
3,232
19.3
New
Majority
10,299
61.4
N/A
Turnout
16,763
48.0
N/A
Unionist hold
Swing
N/A
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.
Candidates
Sir Hubert Gough
The Unionist's chose first time candidate Philip Richardson, who had won a silver medal at the 1908 London Olympics, for Shooting. He was a Shipbuilder who ran his business from Wallsend.
The Labour Party, who had run a candidate in 1918 left the field and the Liberal Party, who had not run a candidate in 1918, intervened. The Liberals also chose a first time candidate in Sir Hubert Gough, who had commanded the British Fifth Army during the Great War and had recently retired from the Army.
Result
The Unionists held onto the seat with a greatly reduced majority.
Chertsey by-election, 1922[2]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
±%
Unionist
Philip Wigham Richardson
11,811
55.4
−25.3
Liberal
Sir Hubert Gough
9,490
45.6
New
Majority
2,321
10.8
−50.6
Turnout
21,301
55.4
+7.4
Unionist hold
Swing
Aftermath
Philip Richardson continued as the MP until retiring in 1931. Sir Hubert Gough did not stand for election again. The Liberal Party never managed to mount as strong a challenge again as Chertsey remained a safe Conservative seat throughout its history. The result at the following general election;
1922 general election[3]
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
±%
Unionist
Philip Wigham Richardson
14,081
60.4
+5.0
Liberal
Henry Samson Clark
9,228
39.6
−6.0
Majority
4,853
20.8
+10.0
Turnout
23,309
58.2
+2.8
Unionist hold
Swing
+5.0
References
Who's Who: www.ukwhoswho.com
Debrett's House of Commons 1922
By-Elections in British Politics by Cook and Ramsden
^F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949
^F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949
^F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1949