1913 – 7th April – Kenilworth Urban District Council – Election

Elected (12 seats)

*Arthur Street	Liberal Party	549
*William Growse	Conservative Party	524
*Edward Hodges	Conservative Party	517
Joseph Crouch	Liberal Party	492
*Charles Randall	Conservative Party	466
*James Jackson	Liberal Party	440
John Clarke	Liberal Party	425
*Henry Griffiths	Liberal Party	422
*Edwin Gee	Conservative Party	418
Andrew Hacking	Liberal Party	376
*Arthur Perkins	Conservative Party	353
*Charles Carter	Conservative Party	352

Not Elected

Ernest Nixon	Conservative Party	344
Madeley Burman	Conservative Party	338
Charles Housiaux	Conservative Party	115
Robert Lynn	Conservative Party	62

*denotes retiring member

Only One Person at Declaration

Only 16 candidates stood in this triennial election. The result being a gain of two seats for the Liberal Party, all six of their candidates being returned, including two new members, Hacking and Clarke. Indeed, this was Mr Clarke’s forth attempt at a KUDC election.

One noticable absentee from the election was George Bostock, who at been on the council since 1898. The reason giving was that he was leaving Kenilworth to live in Cubbington.

Votes recorded totalled 2,704 for the Liberals and 2,630 for the Conservatives.

For the very first time in a Kenilworth election, there were no public meetings held by either party in the town. There was very little use of any traps or carriages displaying any posters, and motor-cars were generally few and far between in bringing people to the polling stations. Voting did increase a little after 7pm, only one hour before polling closed but this is normal in local elections. Polling stations, as usual were at St Nicholas School in School Lane.

The count started at 9am on the following day (Tuesday 8th) at the council house at Upper Rosemary Hill, The declaration came at 11.30am and with the election being so underwhelming, only one member of the public was there to witness it.

Ernest Hadow, the temporary council clerk, carried out the duties of the returning officer due to the illness of Joseph Willington-Wilmshurst. Unfortunately, he died just over a month after the election, on 9th May, he was only 58.

KUDC Councillors

6 Conservatives (W. Growse, E. Hodges, C. Randall, E. Gee, A. Perkins and C. Carter)

6 Liberals (A. Street, J. Crouch, J. Jackson, J. Clarke, H. Griffiths, A. Hacking)

Chairman 1913-19

photo courtesy of Warwickshire County Records Office. (ref. PH (N) 600/147/3)