The 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.'[1]

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 [2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ronald Williams 28,941 59.1 Decrease 9.1
Conservative Harold Dowling 17,466 35.6 Increase 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 Decrease 12.9
Turnout 48,986
Labour hold Swing Decrease 6.5

Result of the previous General Election

General election 1945: Wigan[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William Foster 31,392 68.2 Increase 6.9
Conservative Evelyn Charles Lacy Hulbert-Powell 14,666 31.8 Decrease 6.9
Majority 16,726 36.4 Increase 13.8
Turnout 46,058 80.4 Decrease 1.3
Labour hold Swing Increase 6.9

References

  1. ↑ Goole News search The Glasgow Herald Archives
  2. ↑ "1948 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  3. ↑ "Politics Resources". Election 1945. Politics Resources. 5 July 1945. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2011.

Further reading

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