1948 Wigan by-election

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), who 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 9.1
Conservative Harold Dowling 17,466 35.6 3.8
Communist Thomas Rowlandson 1,647 3.7 N/A
King's Cavalier Owen L Roberts 932 1.6 N/A
Majority 11,475 23.4 12.9
Labour hold Swing 6.5

Result of the previous General Election
General election 1945: Wigan[3]
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 36.3 13.7
Turnout 46,058 80.4 1.3
Labour hold Swing 6.9
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References
  1. Goole News search The Glasgow Herald Archives
  2. "1948 By Election Results". Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
  3. "Politics Resources". Election 1945. Politics Resources. 5 July 1945. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-08.

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
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