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.
