Search for colleagues of Tyneside shipbuilder who died from asbestos-related cancer as family launch legal claim

The son of man who died after prolonged exposure to asbestos in Newcastle is hoping for help to provide crucial evidence in a legal claim.

Robertson (Bob) Allan of Walkergate in Newcastle died in March 2022 after developing Mesothelioma, the lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure.

Mr Allan started working for Vickers Armstrongs (Engineers) Ltd at their Elswick Works in Newcastle in June 1955. He worked as a fitter on the company's outside erection team until January 1968. He was working on Naval ships being fitted out at various shipyards on the river Tyne as an engineer fitter, so would have been working all over the ships including the engines.

From January 1968 to March 1976, Mr Allan was transferred to work as a fitter at Vickers Limited Defence systems at their factory on Scotswood Road, Newcastle. He was working on fitting out fighting vehicles being built at the factory including on gun turrets of tanks.

Between March 1976 and August 1985 he was working as a fitter for Vickers Limited Shipbuilding Group and Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Limited.

He was based as a subcontractor-fitter at Swan Hunters' Neptune Yard in Wallsend but would also be sent around the country carrying out installation works on Royal Navy ships.

He worked on Defence systems being fitted to Naval vessels such as guns and missile systems including on HMS Ark Royal in the early 1980s when it was being built at Swan Hunters’ and on HMS York from around September 1982. He also spent time working on contracts at Barrow in Furness shipyard in Cumbria, on submarines on the river Clyde in Scotland and carrying out commissioning work on Naval ships at Portsmouth Naval Yard.

Mr Allan suffered considerable exposure to asbestos throughout his career as an engineer/fitter and now his son is pursuing a legal claim with Thompson and Co in his father's memory against his father's former employers.

Mark Thompson, of Thompson and Co, said: “It would be of great help to our efforts in seeking to secure justice for his family if some of Bob’s former colleagues could come forward to confirm the working conditions that Bob would have been exposed to with these companies or the presence of asbestos”.

He said: “We would be grateful to anybody to come forward who worked for these companies including at Vickers’ Scotswood Road factory and on Naval ships Swan Hunters’ Neptune Yard, Vickers at Barrow-in-Furness, in Scotland or at Portsmouth Naval Yard at around the same time as Bob, even if they didn’t know Bob personally.”

Anybody who may be able to help can contact Mark Thompson by calling 0191 565 6290 or emailing: [email protected].