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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.

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

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

• Craig, F. W. S. (1983) . 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

• By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Greater Manchester constituencies
• 1948 elections in the United Kingdom
• 1948 in England
• 1940s in Lancashire
• Elections in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
• By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in Lancashire constituencies
• March 1948 events in the United Kingdom