List of members of the 5th House of Commons of Northern Ireland facts for kids

This article is about the people who were chosen to be part of the Northern Ireland Parliament in the 1938 general election. A general election is when people vote to choose who will represent them in the government.

The Northern Ireland House of Commons was like the main meeting place where elected members made laws for Northern Ireland. This list shows all the people who won a seat in that election in 1938. They were called Members of Parliament, or MPs for short. Their job was to speak for the people in their local area, called a constituency, and help make decisions for the whole region.

Who Was Elected in 1938?

In the 1938 election, people voted for their representatives in different areas across Northern Ireland. These representatives then became Members of Parliament (MPs) in the Northern Ireland House of Commons.

Most of the MPs elected in 1938 belonged to the Ulster Unionist Party. This party wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom. Other MPs were from the Nationalist Party, who wanted Northern Ireland to join with the rest of Ireland. There were also some MPs from the Northern Ireland Labour Party and others who were independent, meaning they didn't belong to a specific political party.

Here are some of the people who were elected and the areas they represented:

• Paddy Agnew for South Armagh (Northern Ireland Labour Party)
• J. M. Andrews for Mid Down (Ulster Unionist Party)
• Jack Beattie for Belfast Pottinger (Independent Labour)
• Basil Brooke for Lisnaskea (Ulster Unionist Party)
• James Craig for North Down (Ulster Unionist Party)
• Cahir Healy for South Fermanagh (Nationalist Party)
• Tommy Henderson for Belfast Shankill (Independent Unionist Association)
• George Leeke for Mid Londonderry (Nationalist Party)
• Dehra Parker for South Londonderry (Ulster Unionist Party)

This list shows that different parts of Northern Ireland had MPs from various political groups, reflecting the different views of the people living there.

Changes to the Parliament Members (1938-1945)

Sometimes, the people who are elected as MPs change before the next general election. This can happen for a few reasons, like if an MP resigns (leaves their job), passes away, or changes their political group. When a seat becomes empty, a special election called a by-election is held to choose a new MP for that area.

Here are some of the changes that happened to the list of MPs between the 1938 election and the next general election in 1945:

New MPs Joining Parliament

• On 29 September 1938, Norman Stronge became the new MP for Mid Armagh after John Clarke Davison resigned.
• On 5 December 1938, Howard Stevenson was elected for Queen's University after Robert James Johnstone passed away.
• On 27 April 1939, William Lowry became the MP for City of Londonderry when Edward Sullivan Murphy resigned.
• On 10 November 1939, Malcolm Patrick was elected for Bannside after George Charles Gillespie Young passed away.
• On 15 March 1941, George Dougan became the MP for Central Armagh after David Shillington passed away.
• On 27 March 1941, Thomas Bailie was elected as an independent Unionist for North Down after James Craig passed away.
• On 2 July 1941, Michael McGurk was elected as an independent Nationalist for Mid Tyrone after Hugh McAleer passed away.
• On 3 December 1941, Harry Midgley from the Northern Ireland Labour Party was elected for Belfast Willowfield after Arthur Black resigned.
• On 2 April 1942, Eamon Donnelly was elected as an independent Republican for Belfast Falls after Richard Byrne passed away.
• On 19 October 1942, William Lyle was elected for Queen's University after Arthur Brownlow Mitchell passed away.
• On 2 July 1943, John W. Renshaw was elected for Queen's University after Robert Corkey resigned.
• On 11 August 1943, Thomas Lyons was elected for North Tyrone after James Gamble passed away.
• On 26 August 1943, John Dermot Campbell was elected for Carrick after John Fawcett Gordon resigned.
• On 13 December 1944, Herbert Quin was elected for Queen's University after John MacDermott resigned.
• On 12 April 1945, William McCoy was elected for South Tyrone after Rowley Elliott passed away.
• On 19 April 1945, Lancelot Curran was elected for Carrick after John Dermot Campbell passed away.
• On 19 April 1945, Walter Topping was elected for Larne after Harold Claude Robinson passed away.

MPs Changing Their Political Group

• In 1938, James Brown, who was an Independent Unionist, decided to officially join the Ulster Unionist Party. In politics, this is sometimes called accepting the whip.
• In 1942, Jack Beattie rejoined the Northern Ireland Labour Party.
• In December 1942, Harry Midgley left the Northern Ireland Labour Party and started a new group called the Commonwealth Labour Party.
• In 1943, Jack Beattie again left the Northern Ireland Labour Party to be an independent Labour MP.
• In 1945, Thomas Bailie, who was an independent Unionist, officially joined the Ulster Unionist Party.

Seats That Remained Empty

• After George Leeke passed away on 30 March 1939, the seat for Mid Londonderry remained empty until the next general election in 1945.
• After Eamon Donnelly passed away on 29 December 1944, the seat for Belfast Falls also remained empty until the 1945 general election.

These changes show how the makeup of the Northern Ireland Parliament could shift over time, even between general elections, as new people stepped in to represent their areas.