The1945 Monmouth by-election was aby-election held for theBritish House of Commonsconstituency ofMonmouth inWales on 31 October 1945. The seat had become vacant on the death of the sittingConservativeMember of Parliament (MP)Leslie Pym, and the by-election was won by the Conservative candidatePeter Thorneycroft.
The Conservative MP Leslie Pym had died at the age of 61 on 17 July 1945, twelve days after polling in the1945 general election, but nine days before the declaration.[1] He was thus unusually declared elected posthumously. Pym had held the seat since aby-election in 1939.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Leslie Pym | 22,195 | 51.9 | −8.2 | |
| Labour | A. B. L. Oakley | 20,543 | 48.1 | +8.2 | |
| Majority | 1,652 | 3.8 | −16.4 | ||
| Turnout | 42,738 | 72.0 | +13.8 | ||
| Registered electors | 39,359 | ||||
| Conservativehold | Swing | -8.2 | |||
The Conservative candidate was 36-year-old Peter Thorneycroft, who had been the MP forStafford from a1938 by-election until his defeat at the 1945 general election.
TheLabour Party candidate was A. B. L. Oakley, who had been the unsuccessful candidate at the general election in July.
On a significantly reduced turnout, Thorneycroft held the seat for the Conservatives, a narrowly increased majority of 2,139. He held the seat until his defeat at the1966 general election, serving as a seniorCabinet minister in the government ofHarold Macmillan.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Peter Thorneycroft | 21,092 | 52.7 | +0.8 | |
| Labour | A. B. L. Oakley | 18,953 | 47.3 | −0.8 | |
| Majority | 2,139 | 5.4 | +1.6 | ||
| Turnout | 40,045 | 39.8 | −32.2 | ||
| Registered electors | 60,013 | ||||
| Conservativehold | Swing | +0.8 | |||
