Willesden West (UK Parliament constituency)

Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1918–1974

Willesden West

Former Borough constituency
for the House of Commons
1918–February 1974
Seats| one
Created from| Harrow (small part of)
Replaced by| Brent East and Brent South

Willesden West was a constituency in Middlesex adjoining the County of London and forming part of the London conurbation, in London itself from 1965. It returned one member to the House of Commons of the UK Parliament 1918–1974.

The outcome of the seat switched permanently to electing the Labour candidate, in 1923 -- save for the four-year term when the party's number of MPs fell from 327 to 52 seats (1931-1935) and when the seat elected notable women's right advocate Mrs Mavis Tate.

## History[edit]

Willesden West constituency within the parliamentary county of Middlesex, showing boundaries used from 1918 to 1945. Willesden West constituency within the parliamentary county of Middlesex, showing boundaries used from 1945 to 1950. Map that gives each named seat and any constant electoral success for national (Westminster) elections for Middlesex, 1955 to 1974.

Until 1918, Willesden formed part of the Harrow Division of Middlesex. The constituency was created by the Representation of the People Act 1918, and was first contested in the general election of that year. The boundaries were altered by further legislation in 1948 and the constituency was abolished when new seats based on the London Boroughs created by the London Government Act 1963 came into use for the February 1974 general election. The area of the constituency was divided between the two new seats of Brent East and Brent North.[1]

## Boundaries[edit]

The 1918 legislation created a new parliamentary borough of Willesden, identical in area with the urban district of Willesden, and divided it into two single-member divisions. Willesden West comprised five of the eleven wards of the urban district: Church End, Harlesden, Roundwood, Stonebridge and Willesden Green. The remaining six wards formed the Willseden East division. In 1933 Willesden was incorporated as a municipal borough, although this made no change to the parliamentary divisions.[1]

When constituencies were redrawn prior to the 1950 general election, Willesden West was redefined in terms of seven wards of the borough as they then existed: Church End, Harlesden, Kensal Rise, Manor, Roundwood, Stonebridge and Willesden Green. Kensal Rise had previously formed part of Willesden East.[1]

## Members of Parliament[edit]

Election | Member | Party

|
|

| 1918 | Charles Pinkham | Conservative
| 1922 | George James Furness | Conservative
| 1923 | Samuel Viant | Labour
| 1931 | Mavis Tate | Conservative
| 1935 | Samuel Viant | Labour
| 1959 | Laurie Pavitt | Labour
Feb 1974 | constituency abolished

## Elections[edit]

### Elections in the 1910s[edit]

General election 1918: Willesden West[2] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

C | Unionist | Charles Pinkham | 10,503 | 54.1 |
| Labour | Samuel Viant | 7,217  | 37.2  |
| Liberal | John Smyth Crone  | 1,697  | 8.7  |
Majority  | 3,286  | 16.9  |
Turnout | 19,417  | 53.3  |
| Unionist win (new seat)
C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government.

### Elections in the 1920s[edit]

General election 1922: Willesden West[2] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Unionist | George James Furness | 13,328  | 51.5  | -2.6
| Labour | Samuel Viant | 12,529  | 48.5  | +11.3
Majority  | 799  | 3.0  | -13.9
Turnout | 25,857  | 66.7  | +13.4
| Unionist hold | Swing |  |
General election 1923: Willesden West[2] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Samuel Viant | 14,004  | 51.3  | +2.8
| Unionist | George James Furness | 8,256  | 30.3  | -18.2
| Liberal | David Cleghorn Thomson | 5,030  | 18.4  | New
Majority  | 5,748  | 21.0  | N/A
Turnout | 27,290  | 69.1  | +1.4
| Labour gain from Unionist | Swing | +12.0  |
General election 1924: Willesden West[2] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Samuel Viant | 14,884  | 47.3  | -4.0
| Unionist | Mitford Brice  | 13,539  | 43.0  | +12.7
| Liberal | James McCulloch  | 3,061  | 9.7  | -8.7
Majority  | 1,345  | 4.3  | -16.7
Turnout | 31,484  | 77.6  | +8.5
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
General election 1929: Willesden West[2] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Samuel Viant | 20,583  | 52.3  | +5.0
| Unionist | Malcolm McCorquodale | 12,779  | 32.4  | -9.6
| Liberal | Arthur Lewis Leighton  | 6,038  | 15.3  | +5.6
Majority  | 7,804  | 19.9  | +15.6
Turnout | 39,400  | 73.4  | -4.2
| Labour hold | Swing | +7.8  |

### Elections in the 1930s[edit]

General election 1931: Willesden West[2] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Mavis Tate | 23,910  | 60.6  | +28.2
| Labour | Samuel Viant | 15,550  | 39.4  | -12.9
Majority  | 8,360  | 21.2  | N/A
Turnout | 39,460  | 71.7  | -1.7
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing |  |
General election 1935: Willesden West[2] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Samuel Viant | 19,402  | 54.1  | +14.7
| Conservative | Sigmund Samuel  | 16,472  | 45.9  | -14.7
Majority  | 2,930  | 8.2  | N/A
Turnout | 35,874  | 64.4  | -7.3
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing |  |

General Election 1939–40

Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1940. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by the Autumn of 1939, the following candidates had been selected;

* Labour: Samuel Viant[3]
* Conservative:

### Elections in the 1940s[edit]

General election 1945: Willesden West[2] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Samuel Viant | 26,566  | 72.2  | +18.1
| Conservative | JB Cartland  | 10,236  | 27.8  | -18.1
Majority  | 16,330  | 44.4  | +36.2
Turnout | 36,802  | 70.5  | +6.1
| Labour hold | Swing |  |

### Elections in the 1950s[edit]

General election 1950: Willesden West[4] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Samuel Viant | 33,963  | 61.1  | -11.1
| Conservative | Attracta Rewcastle | 17,848  | 32.1  | +3.3
| Liberal | Sirdar Karan S.B. Ahluwalia  | 2,853  | 5.1  | New
| Communist | David Michaelson[5] | 938  | 1.7  | New
Majority  | 16,115  | 29.0  | -15.4
Turnout | 55,602  | 83.2  | +12.7
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
General election 1951: Willesden West[4] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Samuel Viant | 35,296  | 64.3  | +3.2
| Conservative | John L Bott  | 19,632  | 35.7  | +3.6
Majority  | 15,664  | 28.6  | -0.4
Turnout | 54,928  |  |
| Labour hold | Swing |  |
General election 1955: Willesden West[4] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour | Samuel Viant | 29,185  | 61.8  | -2.5
| Conservative | Peter B Kenyon  | 18,074  | 38.2  | +2.5
Majority  | 11,111  | 23.6  | -5.0
Turnout | 47,259  | 74.4  |
| Labour hold | Swing | -2.5  |
General election 1959: Willesden West[6] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour Co-op | Laurence Pavitt | 25,680  | 57.2  | -4.6
| Conservative | Pamela S Brookes  | 17,946  | 39.9  | +1.7
| Communist | Leslie G Burt  | 1,324  | 2.9  | New
Majority  | 7,734  | 17.3  | -5.7
Turnout | 44,950  | 73.0  | -1.4
| Labour Co-op hold | Swing |  |

### Elections in the 1960s[edit]

General election 1964: Willesden West[6] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour Co-op | Laurence Pavitt | 23,862  | 62.8  | +5.6
| Conservative | John S Grose  | 12,961  | 34.2  | -5.7
| Communist | Leslie G Burt  | 1,130  | 3.0  | +0.1
Majority  | 10,901  | 28.6  | +11.3
Turnout | 37,953  | 63.5  | -9.5
| Labour Co-op hold | Swing |  |
General election 1966: Willesden West[4] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour Co-op | Laurence Pavitt | 24,944  | 68.5  | +5.7
| Conservative | A Pamela Thomas  | 10,362  | 28.4  | -5.7
| Communist | Leslie G Burt  | 1,140  | 3.1  | +0.1
Majority  | 14,582  | 40.1  | +11.5
Turnout | 36,446  | 63.6  | +0.1
| Labour Co-op hold | Swing | +5.7  |

### Elections in the 1970s[edit]

General election 1970: Willesden West[4] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labour Co-op | Laurence Pavitt | 21,918  | 67.2  | -1.3
| Conservative | Ronald F Dyason  | 10,163  | 31.2  | +2.8
| Communist | Leslie G Burt  | 515  | 1.6  | -1.5
Majority  | 11,755  | 36.0  | -4.1
Turnout | 32,596  | 59.3  | -4.3
| Labour Co-op hold | Swing | +2.0  |

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c Youngs, Frederic A Jr. (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. pp. 745–748. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h British Parliamentary Election Results 1918-1949, FWS Craig
3. ^ Report of the Annual Conference of the Labour Party, 1939
4. ^ a b c d e British parliamentary election results, 1950-1973 by FWS Craig
5. ^ Walker, Michael. "Michaelson David". Retrieved 30 April 2017.
6. ^ a b F W S Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results 1950-1973; Political Reference Publications, Glasgow 1973

* Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "W" (part 4)

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