TOPIC:

The view in early June 1900 was that the war in South Africa had been won. The Conservative government wanted to capitalise on this and call a snap general election. Parliament was dissolved on 25 September 1900 with the election being held between 26 September and 24 October 1900.

Despite a 6.5% fall in votes, the Conservatives under Lord Salisbury and their Liberal Unionist allies were returned to power.

This article from the Bristol Mercury on 1 Jun 1900 speculates on what was about to happen.

David
Having seen several elections called and won after good news/perceived good news from The Front, it would be hard to objectively lay much blame on the Government of the day in calling an election. Politics is a nasty game and had the boot been on the other foot ....... need I say more?
Regards
IL.

Ian,

I think you're right. There are many newspaper articles from the same period announcing the end of the war so it must have seemed a very opportune moment.

Best wishes
David

hy i am new to this site and would appreciate it if someone could tell me where I can find the Shipping Records for May 1901. Unfortunately the information displayed on the www.angloboerwar.com site jumps from April 01 to June 01 and I am trying to validate the information I have which shows that my grand-father sailed from Cape Town on 15 May on the Avondale Castle.
Any help would be appreciated. Tks.

Welcome Britny.mark,

That sounds,like an omission on my part. I will check.

Kind regards
David

An interesting event that took place in the Khaki Election of 1900 was that Winston Churchill was elected as MP for Oldham with a margin of 180 votes. This was his first time in Parliament.
He was invited back to Oldham in 1902, to present medals to the returning veterans from the Boer War, along with ex-Mayor Hood, and his successor, Mayor Eckersley.
Wombat,
James.