William Reginald Hipwell

William Reginald Hipwell or Reg Hipwell (died 1966) was a populist forces journalist and parliamentary candidate.

Background

Hipwell was born in Olney, Buckinghamshire. He attended Rugby School. He was President of the Horse-Brass Society.[1]

Career

Hipwell was the founder[2] and editor of Reveille, a " barrack room newspaper for the fighting forces",[3] and stood as an Independent Progressive in four Parliamentary by-elections during the Second World War when the major parties honoured a war time electoral truce. His campaigns focused on complaints about the conditions of services personnel.[4] He campaigned for an increase in pay for servicemen and their dependents. He said that he admired "many of the planks in the Conservative platform, yet he felt he also stood for the best that the Labour and Liberal parties had to offer".[5] He was also the agent for the successful independent candidate, William Brown in the 1942 Rugby by-election. At the 1945 General Election he contested Eastbourne as an Independent National, finishing fourth and did not stand for parliament again.

Electoral record
1941 Hampstead by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Challen 7,630 67.4 -5.8
National Independent Noel Pemberton Billing 2,734 24.1 N/A
Independent Progressive William Hipwell 636 5.6 N/A
Independent A.L. Dolland 326 2.9 N/A
Majority 4,896 43.3 N/A
Turnout 65,511 17.3 -41.7
Conservative hold Swing N/A
1941 Scarborough and Whitby by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Alexander Spearman 12,518 60.8
Independent Progressive William Hipwell 8,086 39.2
Majority 4,432
Turnout 35.9
Conservative hold Swing
1942 Salisbury by-election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Morrison 12,076 67.8 −3.7
Independent Progressive William Hipwell 3,218 18.1 N/A
Independent Democrat J. D. Monro 2,519 14.1 N/A
Majority 8,858 49.7 +6.7
Turnout 17,813 39.7 −26.5
Conservative hold Swing
1943 The Hartlepools by-election[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Greenwell 13,333 64.1 +16.3
Common Wealth Elaine Burton 3,634 17.4 n/a
The People's Candidate Oswald Tupton 2,351 11.3 n/a
Independent Progressive William Hipwell 1,510 7.2 n/a
Majority 9,699 46.7 +36.0
Turnout 39.5 -43.8
Conservative hold Swing n/a
General Election 1945: Eastbourne
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Taylor 18,173 53.24
Labour Duncan Newman Smith 12,637 37.02
Liberal John Stafford Gowland 2,797 8.19
Independent National William Hipwell 524 1.54
Majority 5,536 16.22
Turnout 77.35
Conservative hold Swing

References
  1. Mr. John Gawsworth. "Mr. W. R. Hipwell." Times [London, England] 10 Mar. 1966: 12. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 30 Apr. 2016.
  2. By-Elections in British Politics, Cook & Ramsden
  3. "Investigation into the affairs of W.R. Hipwell of "The Reveille"". The National Archives. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  4. "An Outbreak of 'Ginger'". The Times. 29 September 1941.
  5. By-Elections in British Politics, Cook & Ramsden
  6. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949, Craig, F. W. S.
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