Editing Frank Forde (section)

===Chifley government, 1945–1946===
After losing the leadership contest to Chifley, Forde was re-elected unopposed as deputy leader and remained as ''de facto'' [[Deputy Prime Minister of Australia|Deputy Prime Minister]]. He remained Minister for the Army and Minister for Defence, having assumed the latter portfolio after Curtin's death. As the Pacific War [[Victory over Japan Day|ended on 15 August]], Forde's primary responsibility was to oversee the [[Demobilisation of the Australian military after World War II|demobilisation of the Australian military]]. At this time service men and women were spread around the country and across the Pacific. He handled the issue in a way that was unpopular with the general public, refusing appeals to release servicemen early but also making public statements about the rate of demobilisation that turned out to be inaccurate.{{sfn|Brown|2000|p=243}} At the [[1946 Australian federal election|1946 election]], Forde unexpectedly lost his seat to the [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal]] candidate [[Charles Davidson (politician)|Charles Davidson]], a returned soldier. He suffered a 10-point swing against him, compared with a nationwide 0.2-point swing against the Labor Party. As well as the concerns over demobilisation, he had been criticised for moving his family to Sydney during the war and his electorate was experiencing a severe drought.{{sfn|Brown|2000|p=244}}