Walter Leslie Dingley

Alderman Walter Leslie Dingley OBE (born 1892), was a British Liberal Party politician.
Background
He was born in Handsworth, Staffordshire, the son of Alfred Dingley and Maud Mary Jackson. In 1954 he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's 1954 Birthday Honours for services to Hospital Boards in Birmingham.
Professional career
He served in World War One and reached the rank of Captain. He was an agricultural merchant and analytical chemist at Stratford-on-Avon.
Political career
In 1927 he was elected as a Councillor to Warwickshire County Council. He was selected Liberal candidate for the Warwick and Leamington division of Warwickshire for the 1929 General Election. This was a Unionist seat where the Liberals were usually the main or only challenger. In 1929 Labour decided to contest the seat which probably removed any hope he had of winning.
He was re-selected as Liberal prospective candidate for Warwick and Leamington but at the 1931 General Election, following the formation of the National Government, he withdrew in favour of the incumbent Conservative candidate. He was selected Liberal candidate for the Hereford division of Herefordshire for the 1935 General Election. The seat had been won by a Liberal in 1929 but re-gained by a Conservative in 1931. Any hope he had of winning was undermined by the intervention of a Labour party candidate;
He was appointed a Warwickshire County Alderman. He was selected as Liberal prospective parliamentary candidate for the Warwick and Leamington, the seat he fought in the 1929 General Election. In fact, the Liberals had not contested the seat since 1929. A general election was expected to take place in 1939 but was postponed due to the outbreak of war. He was re-adopted as Liberal candidate when the elections finally came around after the war ended in 1945. However, against a popular and well known Conservative opponent and a resurgent Labour party, he was well beaten;
He did not stand for parliament again.
Election results

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