How were by-elections to the House of Commons conducted during the Second World War? Would constituents who were serving in the armed forces be entitled to a vote as they were in the 1945 election and how did polling work with all the obvious potential issues in carrying it out, i.e. air raids?

by prole_doorstep

Were MPs who were young and fit enough to assist the war effort entitled to retain their seats during their service? How many of the several by-elections of the time were triggered by MPs being killed in action?

MisterMarcus

The major parties in the UK (Conservatives, Labour, Liberals) essentially agreed to a 'truce' during the wartime period, where they would not contest the other parties' seats at by-elections. For this reason, many "by-elections" were actually unopposed, with a candidate from the same party being selected as the new MP without an actual election.

The contested by-elections were generally by Independents and/or rebel breakaway party members. These were people who disagreed with either (a) the 'truce' , (b) how the war was being run at the time, or (c) the actions of the Conservative government before 1939. Turnout was generally very low at these by-elections.

There were a number of by-elections caused by MPs being killed in action, but the vast majority of by-elections were through typical causes: resignation, ill-health, death of natural causes, elevation to the Lords, or appointment to a diplomatic posting.