West Fife (UK Parliament constituency)

West Fife was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885-1974. Along with East Fife, it was formed by dividing the old Fife constituency.

West Fife
Former County constituency
for the House of Commons
Subdivisions of ScotlandFife
1885–1974 (1974)
Number of membersOne
Replaced byCentral Fife,
Dunfermline,
Kirkcaldy[1]
Created fromFife

Willie Gallacher of the Communist Party of Great Britain is notable as the longest-serving Member of Parliament (from 1935 to 1950) and the last MP in Parliament (until 1950) for the party.

Boundaries

1885–1918:

1918–1950:

1950–1974: The Burghs of Culross, Leslie, and Markinch; the Districts of Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy, and Lochgelly; and part of the District of Wemyss.

Members of Parliament
Election Member[2] Party
1885Robert Preston BruceLiberal
1889Augustine BirrellLiberal
1900John Deans HopeLiberal
1910William AdamsonLabour
1931Charles MilneUnionist
1935Willie GallacherCommunist
1950Willie HamiltonLabour
Feb 1974 constituency abolished

Elections
Fife West election results

Elections in the 1880s
General election 1885: West Fife [3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Preston Bruce Unopposed
Liberal win (new seat)
General election 1886: West Fife [5][6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Robert Preston Bruce Unopposed
Liberal hold

Bruce's resignation caused a by-election.

Birrell
By-election, 5 Jul 1889: West Fife[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Augustine Birrell 3,551 56.3 N/A
Liberal Unionist Rosslyn Wemyss 2,758 43.7 New
Majority 793 12.6 N/A
Turnout 6,309 71.6 N/A
Registered electors 8,812
Liberal hold Swing N/A

Elections in the 1890s
General election 1892: West Fife [8][9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Augustine Birrell 5,215 76.2 N/A
Liberal Unionist Robert Yellowlees 1,633 23.8 N/A
Majority 3,582 52.4 N/A
Turnout 6,848 69.9 N/A
Registered electors 9,800
Liberal hold Swing N/A
General election 1895: West Fife [10][11][12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Augustine Birrell 4,719 61.4 -14.8
Liberal Unionist Randolph Wemyss 2,965 38.6 +14.8
Majority 1,754 22.8 -29.6
Turnout 7,684 72.2 +2.3
Registered electors 10,637
Liberal hold Swing -14.8

Elections in the 1900s
Hope
General election 1900: West Fife [13][14][15]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Deans Hope 4,352 64.7 +3.3
Conservative Gavin William Ralston 2,374 35.3 -3.3
Majority 1,978 29.4 +6.6
Turnout 6,726 60.0 -12.2
Registered electors 11,206
Liberal hold Swing +3.3
General election 1906: West Fife [16][17]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Deans Hope 6,692 79.0 +14.3
Conservative Nelson B Constable 1,776 21.0 -14.3
Majority 4,916 58.0 +28.6
Turnout 8,468 55.4 -4.6
Registered electors 15,272
Liberal hold Swing +14.3

Elections in the 1910s
General election January 1910: West Fife [18][19]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal John Deans Hope 6,159 47.8 -31.2
Labour William Adamson 4,736 37.7 New
Conservative Gavin William Ralston 1,994 15.5 -5.5
Majority 1,423 10.1 -47.9
Turnout 12,889 73.1 +17.7
Liberal hold Swing N/A
William Adamson
General election December 1910: West Fife [20][21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Adamson 6,128 53.0 +15.3
Liberal John Deans Hope 5,425 47.0 -0.8
Majority 703 6.0 N/A
Turnout 11,553 61.4 -11.7
Labour gain from Liberal Swing

General Election 1914/15:

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;

General election 1918: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Adamson 10,664 72.6 +19.6
C Unionist Joseph Hume Menzies 4,020 27.4 New
Majority 6,644 45.2 +39.2
Turnout 14,684 48.2 −13.2
Registered electors 30,452
Labour hold Swing N/A
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

Elections in the 1920s
General election 1922: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Adamson Unopposed
Labour hold
General election 1923: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Adamson 12,204 65.4 N/A
Fife, Kinross and Clackmannan Mineworkers' Reform Union Philip Hodge 6,459 34.6 New
Majority 5,745 30.8 N/A
Turnout 18,663 57.4 N/A
Registered electors 32,491
Labour hold Swing N/A
General election 1924: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Adamson 14,685 70.9 +5.5
Unionist J MacRobert 6,015 29.1 New
Majority 8,670 41.8 +11.0
Turnout 20,700 63.0 +5.6
Registered electors 32,882
Labour hold Swing N/A
General election 1929: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Adamson 17,668 60.0 −10.9
Communist Willie Gallacher 6,040 20.5 New
Unionist A.B. Brown 5,727 19.5 −9.6
Majority 11,628 39.5 −2.3
Turnout 29,435 69.7 +6.7
Registered electors 42,252
Labour hold Swing −0.7

Elections in the 1930s
General election 1931: Fife West[23]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Unionist Charles Milne 12,997 42.1 +22.6
Labour William Adamson 11,063 35.8 -24.2
Communist Willie Gallacher 6,829 22.1 +1.6
Majority 1,914 6.3 N/A
Turnout 30,889 71.4 +1.7
Unionist gain from Labour Swing
General election 1935: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Communist Willie Gallacher 13,462 37.4 +15.4
Labour William Adamson 12,869 35.7 -0.1
Unionist Charles Milne 9,667 26.9 -15.2
Majority 593 1.7 N/A
Turnout 35,998 77.8 +6.4
Communist gain from Unionist Swing

Elections in the 1940s
General election 1945: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Communist Willie Gallacher 17,636 42.1 +4.7
Labour Willie Hamilton 15,580 37.3 +1.6
Liberal National Robert Scott Stevenson 8,597 20.6 -6.3
Majority 2,056 4.8 +3.1
Turnout 41,813 75.4 -2.4
Communist hold Swing

Elections in the 1950s
General election 1950: Fife West[24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Willie Hamilton 23,576 54.8 +17.5
National Liberal and Conservative Patrick William Neill Fraser 10,131 23.6 +3.0
Communist Willie Gallacher 9,301 21.6 -20.5
Majority 13,445 31.2 N/A
Turnout 43,008 84.9 +9.5
Labour gain from Communist Swing
General election 1951: Fife West[25]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Willie Hamilton 29,195 64.9 +10.1
National Liberal and Conservative John Patterson Fyfe 11,038 24.6 +1.0
Communist William Lauchlan 4,728 10.5 -11.1
Majority 18,157 40.3 +9.1
Turnout 44,961 85.6 +0.7
Labour hold Swing
General election 1955: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Willie Hamilton 26,849 62.6 -2.3
Unionist Norman Wylie 10,638 24.8 +0.2
Communist William Lauchlan 5,389 12.6 +2.1
Majority 16,211 37.8 -2.5
Turnout 42,876 80.3 -5.3
Labour hold Swing
General election 1959: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Willie Hamilton 25,554 56.1 -6.5
Unionist Alick Buchanan-Smith 11,257 24.7 -0.1
Fife Socialist League Lawrence Daly 4,886 10.7 New
Communist William Lauchlan 3,828 8.4 -4.2
Majority 14,297 31.4 -6.4
Turnout 45,525 81.3 +1.0
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1960s
General election 1964: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Willie Hamilton 28,806 65.5 +9.4
Unionist John B. M. Gall 11,880 27.0 +2.3
Communist William Lauchlan 3,273 7.5 -0.9
Majority 16,926 38.5 +7.1
Turnout 43,959 78.6 -2.7
Labour hold Swing
General election 1966: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Willie Hamilton 27,123 63.1 -2.4
Conservative John B. M. Gall 8,300 19.3 -7.7
SNP Robert R. Patrick 6,046 14.1 New
Communist Archibald D. MacMillan 1,542 3.6 -3.9
Majority 18,823 43.8 +5.3
Turnout 43,011 76.8 -1.8
Labour hold Swing

Elections in the 1970s
General election 1970: Fife West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Willie Hamilton 29,929 61.1 -2.0
Conservative Gary McLaughlan 12,837 26.2 +6.9
SNP Jimmy Halliday 5,386 11.0 -3.1
Communist Archibald D. MacMillan 855 1.7 -1.9
Majority 17,092 34.9 -8.9
Turnout 49,007 74.2 -2.6
Labour hold Swing

References
  1. Statutory Instrument 1970 No. 1680 (section Part II) The Parliamentary Constituencies (Scotland) Order 1970
  2. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "F"
  3. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  4. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  5. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  6. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  7. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  8. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  9. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  10. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  11. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  12. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
  13. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  14. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  15. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1901
  16. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  17. The Liberal Year Book, 1907
  18. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  19. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
  20. British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918, FWS Craig
  21. Debrett's House of Commons & Judicial Bench, 1916
  22. Daily Record 22 May 1914
  23. Whitaker's Almanack, 1934

Sources
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