Bournemouth (UK Parliament constituency)
# Bournemouth (UK Parliament constituency)

50°43′19″N 1°52′44″W﻿ / ﻿50.722°N 1.879°W﻿ / 50.722; -1.879

Bournemouth was a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. The seat was created in 1918 and existed until it was abolished and split into two new seats in 1950. During the constituency's existence it was the most south-westerly seat in Hampshire (although the county boundary between Dorset and Hampshire was redrawn in 1974 so the town was transferred to Dorset).

## Boundaries

Before 1918 the County Borough of Bournemouth formed part of the then parliamentary borough of Christchurch. Under the Representation of the People Act 1918 Bournemouth gained its own constituency, with the same boundaries as the then county borough.

The seat was bordered to the west by the constituency of Dorset East, while to the north was New Forest and Christchurch. The rest of the constituency bordered the English Channel.

In the 1950 redistribution, the Representation of the People Act 1948 provided for the division of Bournemouth (with the addition of the neighbouring town of Christchurch) into Bournemouth East and Christchurch & Bournemouth West.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1918 | Henry Croft | National |
| 1921 | Henry Croft | Conservative | Resigned May 1940 on being raised to the peerage |
| 1940 by-election | Leonard Lyle | Conservative | Resigned October 1945 on being raised to the peerage |
| 1945 by-election | Brendan Bracken | Conservative |
| 1950 | constituency abolished: see Bournemouth East and Christchurch & Bournemouth West | constituency abolished: see Bournemouth East and Christchurch & Bournemouth West |

## Elections

### Elections in the 1910s

General election 1918: Bournemouth :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | National | Henry Page Croft | 14,048 | 66.3 | |
| | Labour | Frederick Jesse Hopkins | 5,302 | 25.0 | |
| | Liberal | Thomas Dove Keighley | 1,854 | 8.7 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,746 | 41.3 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 21,204 | 64.1 | |
| | National win (new seat) | National win (new seat) | National win (new seat) | National win (new seat) | National win (new seat) |

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: Bournemouth :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Unionist | Henry Page Croft | 15,690 | 52.3 | -14.0 |
| | Liberal | Cyril Berkeley Dallow | 10,181 | 33.9 | +25.2 |
| | Lloyd George Conservative | Harry Keen Hargreaves | 4,134 | 13.8 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,509 | 18.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,005 | 79.8 | +15.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 37,598 | | |
| | Unionist gain from National | Unionist gain from National | Swing | N/A | |

General election 1923: Bournemouth :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Unionist | Henry Page Croft | 15,506 | 50.4 | −1.9 |
| | Liberal | Cyril Berkeley Dallow | 9,256 | 30.1 | −3.8 |
| | Labour | Minnie Pallister | 5,986 | 19.5 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,250 | 20.3 | +1.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,748 | 79.0 | −0.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 38,913 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +1.0 | |

General election 1924: Bournemouth :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Unionist | Henry Page Croft | 20,620 | 72.7 | +22.3 |
| | Labour | Minnie Pallister | 7,735 | 27.3 | +7.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,885 | 45.4 | +25.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 28,355 | 69.1 | −9.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 41,038 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | +7.25 | |

General election 1929: Bournemouth :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Unionist | Henry Page Croft | 25,945 | 52.2 | −20.5 |
| | Liberal | Arthur Mortimer | 15,890 | 31.9 | New |
| | Labour | Maurice Spencer | 7,900 | 15.9 | −11.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 10,055 | 20.3 | −25.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,735 | 74.4 | +5.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 66,812 | | |
| | Unionist hold | Unionist hold | Swing | −26.2 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: Bournemouth :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Conservative | Henry Page Croft | 39,859 | 80.03 |
| | Labour | JH Collingbourne | 9,943 | 19.97 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 29,916 | 60.06 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,802 | 70.28 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |

General election 1935: Bournemouth :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Conservative | Henry Page Croft | 32,645 | 71.08 |
| | Labour | Maurice Solomon Davidson | 13,279 | 28.92 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 19,366 | 42.16 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,924 | 62.62 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1940s

1940 Bournemouth by-election :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Conservative | Leonard Lyle | Unopposed | N/A | N/A |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

General election 1945: Bournemouth :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Conservative | Leonard Lyle | 34,544 | 55.45 | |
| | Liberal | Basil Wigoder | 14,232 | 22.85 | New |
| | Labour | Robert Spence Watson Pollard | 13,522 | 21.71 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 20,312 | 32.60 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 62,298 | 71.32 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

1945 Bournemouth by-election :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Conservative | Brendan Bracken | 22,980 | 46.85 | -8.60 |
| | Labour | Edward Shackleton | 16,526 | 33.69 | +11.98 |
| | Liberal | Basil Wigoder | 9,548 | 19.46 | -3.39 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,454 | 13.16 | -19.44 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,054 | 56.5 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
