1962 Chippenham by-election

A by-election was held for the British House of Commons constituency of Chippenham, Wiltshire, England, on 22 November 1962.

Jerome, Naylor and Smith were all serving in the British Armed Forces. The law stated that, on standing in a Parliamentary election, they would be released from the Forces; this was, therefore, a way to receive an early honourable discharge, for the cost of a lost deposit. The practice was banned soon afterwards.[1]

The election was won by the Conservative Party candidate, Daniel Awdry, who won a narrow majority over the Liberal Party's then Economic Spokesperson, Christopher Layton.

Chippenham by-election, 1962[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Daniel Awdry 13,439 36.8 −15.3
Liberal Christopher Layton 11,851 32.5 +15.6
Labour Robert W. Portus 10,633 29.1 −1.9
Independent K. Jerrome 260 0.71 New
Independent J. Naylor 237 0.65 New
Independent M. Smith 88 0.24 New
Majority 1,588 4.3 −16.8
Turnout 36,508
Conservative hold Swing −15.5
  1. ^ F. W. S. Craig, Minor Parties at British Parliamentary Elections, p.129
  2. ^ "1962 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2015.