The ‘devastated’ widow of a Bristol man who died suddenly of an asbestos-related cancer he never knew he had has launched an emotional appeal for his former workmates to get in touch.
Roland Clapp, who was well-known around Bristol as a big Bristol City fan, worked at some of the city’s most prominent workplaces, including at the Port of Bristol Authority, The Board Mill Factory in St Anne’s and the Bristol Royal Infirmary, during a varied 55 year career in the city.
But his sudden death in December left his family and friends devastated, and it was only after he died that it emerged he had been suffering from peritoneal mesothelioma.
Read more: Families face £70 a month cost to visit elderly relatives in care homes
That is a terminal asbestos-related cancer that affects the lining of the abdomen, and is commonly-linked to contact with asbestos, often decades previously.
After that post-mortem diagnosis, Roland’s wife Brenda, from Staple Hill in Bristol, instructed specialist asbestos-related disease lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate.
They are now trying to work out at which of several workplaces Roland spent years at, that the 71-year-old was exposed to asbestos. Even back into the 1960s, the dangers of exposure to asbestos were well-known, and hundreds of people who later died because of their exposure to the dangerous substance as far back as the 1960s and 1970s have been the subject of successful lawsuits as they or their relatives claim compensation from companies and workplaces that should have done more to prevent that deadly exposure.
So now, the legal experts at Irwin Mitchell are trying to find out more about Roland Clapp’s time at a series of high-profile workplaces in and around Bristol, over the past six decades or more.
So they are appealing for anyone who worked with him. He started his career as a labourer at the Port of Bristol in the 1960s - initially at one of the bonded tobacco warehouses at the Cumberland Basin, then at the Port of Bristol itself in Avonmouth.
He then moved to work at Robert Hobbs working to make breeze-blocks and cement, initially at the foundry in Whitehall in Bristol, before moving to the cement plant at Backwell, just outside Bristol.
In the mid-1970s he got a new job - as a machine minder at the Board Mill Factory just near Troopers Hill, and he was there for the longest period of time - from the 1970s until its closure.
In around 2003, after being made redundant in his early 50s, he got his last job - as a porter at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, where he worked for 17 years until 2020, when he retired.
Tragically, little more than a year after he finally retired, he was taken ill and died very quickly.
Roland’s wife Brenda, is a carer in Bristol, and said she just wants answers. She said she was left devastated by his sudden death.
“I met Roland through work in 2001 and he really was a really wonderful man. He was such a loving and caring husband and it still really hasn’t sunk in that he is no longer here,” she said.
“At no point before he died did we know Roland had cancer. He was still active and enjoying his retirement. He was a huge Bristol City fan and he was into football in big way. He also spent a lot of time with his step grandchildren who he picked up from school most days,” she said.
“We still had so many plans for the future. It’s been hard enough trying to come to terms with the fact that we’ll never get to spend more time together let alone the shock he had mesothelioma. It’s sad to think that he died without knowing about the condition,” said Brenda, 70.
“Nothing will change what has happened, but I just feel I deserve some answers. It would be fantastic if people could come forward and help us – it really would be massively appreciated,” she added.
Rebecca Buxton, is the specialist lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Brenda. She said what killed Roland was a very rare strain of an already rare asbestos-related cancer.
Read more: Bristol theatre 'stands with Ukraine' and cancels Russian state ballet performances
“Just months on from Roland’s death, Brenda and the rest of Roland’s family remain devastated by their loss,” she said. “In particular it was also a great shock to learn that Roland had an asbestos-related disease, as this was something that even he didn’t know about.
“Mesothelioma itself is a relatively rare disease with around 2,700 cases in the UK each year, accounting for less than one per cent of all cancer cases. However, peritoneal mesothelioma is very rare and is thought to represent a maximum of 10 per cent of all mesothelioma cases.
“Roland’s death is another stark reminder of the terrible legacy that asbestos has created. Its use wasn’t just restricted to heavy industry but was widespread, including in public buildings.
“Understandably Brenda has so many questions about what has happened and we’re determined to help her obtain the answers she deserves. We’d be very grateful if anyone who worked with Roland could come forward. Any information could make a difference in helping Brenda,” she added.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Rebecca Buxton at Irwin Mitchell on 0117 926 1574 or email rebecca.buxton@irwinmitchell.com
Want our best stories with fewer ads and alerts when the biggest news stories drop? Download our app on iPhone or Android
