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." [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.
| 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 | |||
| 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 | |||
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