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1 December 2021 | Witness Appeals | Article by Lynn Yeates

Witness Appeal: Did you work with William Weaver on construction projects in South Wales?


William Weaver sadly died from the asbestos related illness, mesothelioma, on 10 March 2021. He had been diagnosed with the disease in late October 2020 and, as his illness progressed very rapidly, he was unable to provide a formal statement commenting upon his working history and where he had come into contact with asbestos dust.

William Weaver

William had however advised his medical team and his son, Richard Weaver, that he had been exposed to asbestos dust during his time working as a carpenter. Richard has accordingly instructed specialist asbestos disease solicitor Lauren Bull of Hugh James to help him investigate his father’s working conditions further.

We know that William undertook a 5 year carpentry apprenticeship with WA Davis upon leaving school in 1953, and that he spent some time thereafter completing his National Service and travelling the world. Upon his return to Wales in 1962 William worked as a jobbing carpenter. He advised Richard that as part of this role he was required to cut asbestos sheet cladding to size. Cutting asbestos sheets triggers the release of asbestos fibres into the atmosphere, resulting in exposure to the deadly dust.

William particularly recalled working on the construction of Neville Hall Hospital in Abergavenny, the Ty Fry housing estate in Blaenavon, the County Hall in Cwmbran, the Llandegfedd Reservoir and flyovers in Newport town centre. We know that during this period William had worked for a number of companies including M J Gleeson, Thyssen Shaft Sinking Co (GB) Ltd, C Walmsley, Sir Robert McAlpine & Sons Ltd, Tersons Ltd, Wilson Lovatt & Sons Ltd, Truscon Ltd, The Cementation Co Ltd, Holland Hannen & Cubitta (Southern) Ltd and E Turner & Sons Ltd.

A young William Weaver with long hair and a thick beard

What we do not know at this stage is exactly what William was working on whilst employed by each individual company. Sadly, William’s wife pre-deceased him and he was no longer in touch with any former colleagues who might have been able to confirm what he had been doing, and when.

Richard is accordingly appealing for help from any witnesses who worked with his father for any of the companies or on any of the construction projects listed above. Even if witnesses do not remember William, any information provided about the working conditions at these construction sites could help Richard in his quest for answers as to how his father was exposed to asbestos dust at work.

Specialist solicitor, Emma James, said:

“We know that Mr Weaver would have almost certainly been exposed to asbestos as a carpenter, mostly likely whilst cutting asbestos insulation board or Asbestolux sheets. In order to pursue a claim against one of the above companies, we ideally need to locate one of Mr Weaver’s former colleagues who can confirm that he did in fact work with asbestos. Alternatively, even if you did not know Mr Weaver but worked on any of the above jobs or with one of the above companies and came into contact with asbestos, we would really appreciate speaking to you. Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciate by Mr Weaver’s family”.

If you are able to help in any way, please contact Emma James on 02922 675825 or [email protected].

Author bio

Lynn Yeates

Partner

Lynn Yeates joined Hugh James in April 2021 and is a Partner in the Specialist Asbestos team based in the Southampton office. She specialises solely in asbestos disease litigation and has a long history of representing victims of asbestos exposure and their families.

Lynn has considerable experience working on complex, high value compensation claims and has strong links with medical specialists, palliative care providers, support organisations and barristers. She has in excess of 15 years’ experience working solely with people diagnosed with illnesses such as mesothelioma and other serious asbestos related illnesses.

Disclaimer: The information on the Hugh James website is for general information only and reflects the position at the date of publication. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be treated as such. If you would like to ensure the commentary reflects current legislation, case law or best practice, please contact the blog author.

 

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