In their survey of1905 the Grimsby News picked out that with Keir Hardie in May as Labour's most notable meeting. It was not the largest or most exciting, but Keir Hardie was the leading Labour figure on the national stage, and his meeting had substance and authority. We give it a report on its own. Click here.

Towards the end of October Tom Proctor had his autumn campaign. There were many local meetings and one big one with George Barnes, who was the general Secretary of his union and himself a Labour candidate in Glasgow.

Early in December Robert Hall, the agent, wrote to Ramsey MacDonald asking for a speaker for the 5th of January. He got quite a sharp reply: "Are you aware that every one of our candidates will be in his constituency at the beginning of January and will have meetings every night from then until the election (I should consider if Proctor leaves Grimsby after the 5th to assist anyone else he is doing an exceedingly foolish thing both for himself and the movement)."

There was indeed a large meeting in the Town Hall on th 5th January - with Mrs Bridges Adams as the outside speaker. It "attracted a crowded audience in which the fair sex were a most prominent feature, whilst many hundreds of persons were turned away ......there was an overflow meeting in the banqueting room. The orchestra was crowded with working men."

The Chairman was Councillor Ramsey. "They were on the eve of an unparelleled election. Their object was not merely to overthrow Sir George Doughty. They aimed higher than that. The Liberal Party merely introduced Alderman Doughty to overthrow Lord Heneage and they now introduced Mr Haldinstein merely to overthrow Sir George Doughty."

Mrs Bridges Adams was enthusiastically received. She pleaded for more support for children, and was listened to without interruption.

At this time in Grimsby The Grimsby News was published twice a week. It was fervently Liberal, and during the election did not give Labour much space. It did, however, print prominently a letter from Tom Wintrigham, the leading Liberal, again accusing Labour of having refused to go to arbitration to obtain a candidate acceptable to both parties.It was still very much a live issue.

The Telegraph was a daily paper, pro Conservative and very anti socialist. It also failed to give Labour anything but a minimum of usually adverse publicity.

We know there were lots of Labour meetings all over the constituency, and at least one big open air rally on Freeman Street market. There were also posters and many leaflets distributed. But when it came to voting on Saturday 13th January, Labour came third. (Doughty 6349, Haldinstein 4040, Proctor 2248)

Labour was not to fight another parliamentary election in Grimsby until 1918, and from then onwards Labour was always either first or second.

During the years 1904/1905 there came to Grimsby an array of the best Labour orators in the country. In the 1924 and 1929 Labour governments, the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretaries, the Home Secretaries and the Chancellor of the Exchequer had all been to Grimsby during those two years.