In accordance with the war-time electoral pact, neither the Labour nor the Liberal parties fielded a candidate. The Conservative candidate was Charles Challen. Challen was opposed by three independents who were not affected by the pact.
William Reginald Hipwell, editor of Reveille, a " barrack room newspaper for the fighting forces",[1] stood as an Independent Progressive. This was a label which had been common in by-elections in 1938, as part of Popular Front agreements opposed to the Munich Agreement and the leadership of Neville Chamberlain.