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Asbestos work killed my father

07 March 2005 - A grieving daughter today spoke of her family's distress at how her fit and healthy father died painfully and suddenly because of his work with asbestos more than 50 years ago.

An inquest held on Friday recorded a verdict that electrician Robert Shildrake, of Saracen Road, Hellesdon, died aged 70 due to industrial disease.

His daughter, Sandra Humphreys, said that in his final days, the grandfather of four believed it was his work as an apprentice in the early 1950s which caused the malignant mesothelioma that killed him.

Mrs Humphreys, 44 and from Cromer, said: "As an apprentice my dad had to saw up sheets of asbestos for panels that were put behind electric fire places.

"He may have handled asbestos after this but that was when he felt he was most exposed to it."

Mrs Humphreys said that her father spent his whole working life as an electrician for local companies.

She added that she was not blaming her father's employers or looking for compensation but that she was concerned that there are other people who have no idea that they have been affected by this deadly disease.

She said: "People need to realise that asbestos-related illnesses could catch up with them even if it was 40 or 50 years ago that they handled asbestos.

"My father was a wonderful family man who has always been incredibly healthy and had the energy of somebody 20 years younger.

"In 50 years he was probably only off work sick half a dozen times and until September last year still played golf regularly and often went for long walks.

"He had been retired for five years and was enjoying spending time with his family.

"But the malignant mesothelioma took all that away from him. It was such an awful way to go and very distressing for him and for us, his family."

She added that her family, including mother Pauline Shildrake, 69, and brother, Mark Shildrake, 42, were coping well but finding it difficult to accept that Mr Shildrake was no longer there.

She said: "If my father had died of natural causes it may have been more bearable but knowing that he may still be with us today if it wasn't for his work is so tragic."

Mrs Humphreys said her father's illness started with a cough in August last year but was not officially diagnosed as malignant mesothelioma until November 11.

From then on his health went downhill rapidly and he died on December 8.