1948 Wigan by-election

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

Contents

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]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Ronald Williams 28,941 59.1 Decrease2.svg 9.1
Conservative Harold Dowling17,46635.6Increase2.svg 3.8
Communist Thomas Rowlandson1,6473.7New
King's Cavalier Owen L Roberts9321.6New
Majority11,47523.4Decrease2.svg 12.9
Turnout 48,986
Labour hold Swing Decrease2.svg 6.5

Result of the previous General Election

General election 1945: Wigan [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour William Foster 31,392 68.2 Increase2.svg 6.9
Conservative Evelyn Charles Lacy Hulbert-Powell14,66631.8Decrease2.svg 6.9
Majority16,72636.4Increase2.svg 13.8
Turnout 46,05880.4Decrease2.svg 1.3
Labour hold Swing Increase2.svg 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