After her husband William Clark died of the rare asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma, County Durham widow June Clark, 88, is hoping colleagues of his who worked at now-defunct British Rail in the 1950s might be able to shed light on whether or not he was exposed to asbestos at work.
William, known as Bill, died aged 89 last November. He had worked as a fitter at British Rail's Darlington Locomotive Works in North Road either side of his national service. He worked there from September 1948 until August 1954 and then from 1956 until the mid-1960s - and now June and her Irwin Mitchell legal team want to know if his exposure to asbestos could be linked to his work history.
Emma Bell, an asbestos-related disease specialist lawyer at the firm, said: “Six months on, June is understandably still struggling to come to terms with Bill’s sudden and unexpected death. Mesothelioma can be a cruel disease and while nothing we can do will bring Bill back, we’re determined to support June as she seeks to discover where Bill encountered asbestos and the truth about his exposure to the substance.
"If anyone who remembers Bill, or who also worked at the Locomotive Works in Darlington could come forward, their recollections could prove invaluable. Any detail, no matter how small, could be vital to the investigation and in giving June the answers she is looking for."
June says she remembers Bill saying he used asbestos in his work. He was made redundant from British Rail and then took on several roles such as as an insurance agent around the North East. He retired in 1998.
June and Bill married in 1954 and had a son - Paul Clark - and a daughter - Alison Hindle - together. Speaking about her husband and the appeal, June Clark said: “Bill was a wonderful man and his loss is more than I can bear. I miss him every day and he didn’t deserve to have his final years blighted by this terrible disease.
"We both had our hearts set on reaching our 70th anniversary, which sadly was not to be thanks to mesothelioma. Bill wanted to pursue the matter further, but was too ill in the end so now I want to get to the bottom of his asbestos exposure in his memory."
She said any information from Bill's old colleagues could back up her memories which she said made it sound like he "came into contact a lot with asbestos". She added: "It's so difficult now to think of a future without Bill and I’m not sure how to move forward from what has been a devastating experience. Getting to the truth is the one thing that keeps me going and I know Bill is by my side as look to get at the truth."
The Department for Transport has inherited liability for potential asbestos from the historical British Railways Board - however the DfT does not comment on individual cases. A spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are with all those affected, and we continue to work with their families to ensure that, where liability exists, claimants are compensated fairly and without undue delay.”
To help the investigation contact Stephanie Denham on 0191 434 0731. or stephanie.denham@irwinmitchell.com
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