# West Fife (UK Parliament constituency)

West Fife was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1974. Along with East Fife, it was formed by dividing the old Fife constituency.
Willie Gallacher of the Communist Party of Great Britain is notable as the longest-serving Member of Parliament (from 1935 to 1950) and the last MP in Parliament (until 1950) for the party.

## Boundaries

1885–1918:
1918–1950:
1950–1974: The Burghs of Culross, Leslie, and Markinch; the Districts of Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy, and Lochgelly; and part of the District of Wemyss.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Election | Member | Party |
| | 1885 | Robert Preston Bruce | Liberal |
| | 1889 | Augustine Birrell | Liberal |
| | 1900 | John Deans Hope | Liberal |
| | 1910 | William Adamson | Labour |
| | 1931 | Charles Milne | Unionist |
| | 1935 | Willie Gallacher | Communist |
| | 1950 | Willie Hamilton | Labour |
| Feb 1974 | Feb 1974 | constituency abolished | constituency abolished |

## Elections
### Elections in the 1880s

General election 1885: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Preston Bruce | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
General election 1886: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Robert Preston Bruce | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Liberal hold |
Bruce's resignation caused a by-election.
By-election, 5 Jul 1889: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Augustine Birrell | 3,551 | 56.3 | N/A |
| | Liberal Unionist | Rosslyn Wemyss | 2,758 | 43.7 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 793 | 12.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,309 | 71.6 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,812 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Elections in the 1890s

General election 1892: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Augustine Birrell | 5,215 | 76.2 | N/A |
| | Liberal Unionist | Robert Yellowlees | 1,633 | 23.8 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,582 | 52.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,848 | 69.9 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,800 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1895: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Augustine Birrell | 4,719 | 61.4 | −14.8 |
| | Liberal Unionist | Randolph Wemyss | 2,965 | 38.6 | +14.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,754 | 22.8 | −29.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,684 | 72.2 | +2.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,637 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -14.8 | |

### Elections in the 1900s

General election 1900: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Deans Hope | 4,352 | 64.7 | +3.3 |
| | Conservative | Gavin William Ralston | 2,374 | 35.3 | −3.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,978 | 29.4 | +6.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,726 | 60.0 | −12.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,206 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +3.3 | |
General election 1906: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Deans Hope | 6,692 | 79.0 | +14.3 |
| | Conservative | Nelson B Constable | 1,776 | 21.0 | −14.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,916 | 58.0 | +28.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,468 | 55.4 | −4.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 15,272 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | +14.3 | |

### Elections in the 1910s

General election January 1910: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Deans Hope | 6,159 | 47.8 | −31.2 |
| | Labour | William Adamson | 4,736 | 37.7 | New |
| | Conservative | Gavin William Ralston | 1,994 | 15.5 | −5.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,423 | 10.1 | −47.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,889 | 73.1 | +17.7 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election December 1910: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Adamson | 6,128 | 53.0 | +15.3 |
| | Liberal | John Deans Hope | 5,425 | 47.0 | −0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 703 | 6.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,553 | 61.4 | −11.7 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | | |
General Election 1914–15:
Another General Election was required to take place before the end of 1915. The political parties had been making preparations for an election to take place and by July 1914, the following candidates had been selected;
* Labour: William Adamson
* Unionist: Joseph Hume Menzies
General election 1918: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Adamson | 10,664 | 72.6 | +19.6 |
| C | Unionist | Joseph Hume Menzies | 4,020 | 27.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,644 | 45.2 | +39.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,684 | 48.2 | −13.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 30,452 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | N/A | |
| C indicates candidate endorsed by the coalition government. ||||||

### Elections in the 1920s

General election 1922: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Adamson | Unopposed | Unopposed | Unopposed |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold | Labour hold |
General election 1923: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Adamson | 12,204 | 65.4 | N/A |
| | Fife, Kinross and Clackmannan Mineworkers' Reform Union | Philip Hodge | 6,459 | 34.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,745 | 30.8 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 18,663 | 57.4 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 32,491 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1924: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Adamson | 14,685 | 70.9 | +5.5 |
| | Unionist | J MacRobert | 6,015 | 29.1 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,670 | 41.8 | +11.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,700 | 63.0 | +5.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 32,882 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | N/A | |
General election 1929: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Adamson | 17,668 | 60.0 | −10.9 |
| | Communist | Willie Gallacher | 6,040 | 20.5 | New |
| | Unionist | A.B. Brown | 5,727 | 19.5 | −9.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11,628 | 39.5 | −2.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 29,435 | 69.7 | +6.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 42,252 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | −0.7 | |

### Elections in the 1930s

General election 1931: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Unionist | Charles Milne | 12,977 | 42.1 | +22.6 |
| | Labour | William Adamson | 11,063 | 35.8 | −24.2 |
| | Communist | Willie Gallacher | 6,829 | 22.1 | +1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,914 | 6.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 30,889 | 71.4 | +1.7 |
| | Unionist gain from Labour | Unionist gain from Labour | Swing | | |
General election 1935: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Communist | Willie Gallacher | 13,462 | 37.4 | +15.4 |
| | Labour | William Adamson | 12,869 | 35.7 | −0.1 |
| | Unionist | Charles Milne | 9,667 | 26.9 | −15.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 593 | 1.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 35,998 | 77.8 | +6.4 |
| | Communist gain from Unionist | Communist gain from Unionist | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1940s

General election 1945: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Communist | Willie Gallacher | 17,636 | 42.1 | +4.7 |
| | Labour | Willie Hamilton | 15,580 | 37.3 | +1.6 |
| | National Liberal | Robert Scott Stevenson | 8,597 | 20.6 | −6.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,056 | 4.8 | +3.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,813 | 75.4 | −2.4 |
| | Communist hold | Communist hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1950s

General election 1950: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Willie Hamilton | 23,576 | 54.8 | +17.5 |
| | National Liberal | Patrick William Neill Fraser | 10,131 | 23.6 | +3.0 |
| | Communist | Willie Gallacher | 9,301 | 21.6 | −20.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 13,445 | 31.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,008 | 84.9 | +9.5 |
| | Labour gain from Communist | Labour gain from Communist | Swing | | |
General election 1951: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Willie Hamilton | 29,195 | 64.9 | +10.1 |
| | National Liberal | John Patterson Fyfe | 11,038 | 24.6 | +1.0 |
| | Communist | William Lauchlan | 4,728 | 10.5 | −11.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,157 | 40.3 | +9.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,961 | 85.6 | +0.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1955: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Willie Hamilton | 26,849 | 62.6 | −2.3 |
| | Unionist | Norman Wylie | 10,638 | 24.8 | +0.2 |
| | Communist | William Lauchlan | 5,389 | 12.6 | +2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,211 | 37.8 | −2.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,876 | 80.3 | −5.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1959: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Willie Hamilton | 25,554 | 56.1 | −6.5 |
| | Unionist | Alick Buchanan-Smith | 11,257 | 24.7 | −0.1 |
| | Fife Socialist League | Lawrence Daly | 4,886 | 10.7 | New |
| | Communist | William Lauchlan | 3,828 | 8.4 | −4.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,297 | 31.4 | −6.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,525 | 81.3 | +1.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1960s

General election 1964: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Willie Hamilton | 28,806 | 65.5 | +9.4 |
| | Unionist | John B. M. Gall | 11,880 | 27.0 | +2.3 |
| | Communist | William Lauchlan | 3,273 | 7.5 | −0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,926 | 38.5 | +7.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,959 | 78.6 | −2.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |
General election 1966: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Willie Hamilton | 27,123 | 63.1 | −2.4 |
| | Conservative | John B. M. Gall | 8,300 | 19.3 | −7.7 |
| | SNP | Robert R. Patrick | 6,046 | 14.1 | New |
| | Communist | Archibald D. MacMillan | 1,542 | 3.6 | −3.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,823 | 43.8 | +5.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 43,011 | 76.8 | −1.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1970s

General election 1970: West Fife :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Willie Hamilton | 29,929 | 61.1 | −2.0 |
| | Conservative | Gary McLaughlan | 12,837 | 26.2 | +6.9 |
| | SNP | Jimmy Halliday | 5,386 | 11.0 | −3.1 |
| | Communist | Archibald D. MacMillan | 855 | 1.7 | −1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 17,092 | 34.9 | −8.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,007 | 74.2 | −2.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |