The1939 East Norfolk by-election was aparliamentary by-election held on 26 January 1939 for theBritish House of Commonsconstituency ofEast Norfolk.
The seat had become vacant on 14 November 1938, when the constituency'sNational LiberalMember of Parliament (MP),William Lygon, Viscount Elmley had succeeded to the peerage as the 8thEarl Beauchamp. He had been East Norfolk's MP since he was first elected as aLiberal at the1929 general election, when he gained the seat from the Conservatives. He joined the breakaway National Liberals in 1931, and at the following General election was not opposed by the Conservatives.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Liberal | William Lygon | 23,108 | 68.8 | −11.0 | |
| Labour | Norman R. Tillett | 10,461 | 31.2 | +11.0 | |
| Majority | 12,647 | 37.6 | −22.0 | ||
| Turnout | 33,569 | 66.8 | −4.9 | ||
| National Liberalhold | Swing | -11.0 | |||
Only two candidates contested the by-election:Frank Medlicott for the National Liberals, and Norman Tillett for theLabour Party. Medlicott was a 36-year-old London solicitor who had not contested an election since standing for the Liberal Party atActon in 1929. Tillett was a Norwich solicitor, whosegreat-grandfather anduncle were both Liberal MPs forNorwich. Tillett had fought the seat at the last general election.
A number of local Conservatives who were unhappy about supporting Medlicott tried to get an Independent Conservative candidate to stand. For a while, it seemed as if James F. Wright, the secretary of the NorfolkNational Farmers' Union and former leader of theAgricultural Party, would run as an Independent Conservative, but by close of nominations, there were just the two candidates.
Medlicott held the seat for the National Liberals, with a reduced but still substantial majority.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Liberal | Frank Medlicott | 18,257 | 62.9 | −5.9 | |
| Labour | Norman R. Tillett | 10,785 | 37.1 | +5.9 | |
| Majority | 7,472 | 25.8 | −11.8 | ||
| Turnout | 29,042 | 53.1 | −13.7 | ||
| National Liberalhold | Swing | −5.9 | |||
The1945 general election was again a two-way contest between Medlicott and Tilett, and Medlicott held the seat.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Liberal | Frank Medlicott | 23,307 | 55.8 | −7.1 | |
| Labour | Norman R. Tillett | 18,467 | 44.2 | +7.1 | |
| Majority | 4,840 | 11.8 | −14.2 | ||
| Turnout | 41,774 | 68.9 | +15.8 | ||
| National Liberalhold | Swing | −7.1 | |||
When the East Norfolk constituency was abolished for the1950 general election, he was returned for the newCentral Norfolk seat.
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