1948 Wigan by-election

The 1948 Wigan by-election of 4 March 1948 was held after the death of the incumbent Labour MP, William Foster.

The by-election was contested by four candidates: Ronald Williams (Labour), Harold Dowling (Conservative), Thomas Rowlandson (Communist), and Owen L Roberts (King's Cavalier). Roberts was an ex-RAF Pathfinder observer fighting the election "for the peace and prosperity of the country."

The result was a hold for the Labour Party, with Williams gaining 59.1% of the vote, in spite of a 6.5% swing to the Conservative Party.

Result of the by-election

Wigan by-election, 1948

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Ronald Williams	28,941	59.1	9.1
	Conservative	Harold Dowling	17,466	35.6	3.8
	Communist	Thomas Rowlandson	1,647	3.7	New
	King's Cavalier	Owen L Roberts	932	1.6	New
Majority			11,475	23.4	12.9
Turnout			48,986
	Labour hold		Swing	6.5

Result of the previous General Election

General election 1945: Wigan

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	William Foster	31,392	68.2	6.9
	Conservative	Evelyn Charles Lacy Hulbert-Powell	14,666	31.8	6.9
Majority			16,726	36.4	13.8
Turnout			46,058	80.4	1.3
	Labour hold		Swing	6.9

Further reading

• Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 (3rd edition ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs