Family appeal for information after the tragic death of ‘dedicated’ dad
BID TO SHED LIGHT ON WORKING CONDITIONS
THE family of a dedicated Hull dad who worked on the docks have paid an emotional tribute to him and issued a plea to his colleagues.
George Johnson, 79, worked at Hull Docks between 1959 and 1980. He was regularly required to unload hessian bags full of asbestos, which mostly came from South Africa.
It is believed George breathed in raw asbestos fibres that seeped from the bags, which would frequently split open, causing large clouds of asbestos to form in the area where the men worked.
He died from mesothelioma, a type of cancer caused by heavy asbestos exposure, in February 2020.
George’s daughter, Deborah Johnson, said: “Shortly before Christmas 2019, he visited his GP because he was wheezing and being sick. He was sent straight to Bransholme Health Centre for an X-ray and they got him an immediate admission to hospital. At this stage the medical experts found out just how bad Dad’s lungs had become.
“Things moved on rapidly. Two weeks further on, Dad underwent a full-body scan. The results of these tests revealed he had asbestos disease. He died less than two months later.
“We all miss him greatly and can’t believe he’s gone. It all happened so quickly. It is so cruel that the work he did so many years ago was the cause of his death.”
George became one of the youngest dockers on the books when he secured the job at just 19 years old. He would work at all the major ports in Hull and, for a short period, at Immingham Docks.
George had two daughters and became a widower after losing his wife 12 years previously.
His family are now desperate to speak to his former work colleagues to provide eye-witness accounts of the conditions George worked in.
Deborah said: “Dad dedicated his life to us, his family. My sister and I were county standard swimmers as schoolgirls. We had to spend many hours travelling, training and competing to get to that level. It was Dad that ferried us everywhere.
“I do remember him coming home from work with his overalls covered in dirt and dust. Mum used to wash his work clothes by hand.
“After mum died, he was always at my house, or Annette’s, so that he could spend time with his grandchildren and later on great grandchildren, too.
“He used to come over and do gardening or decorating for us. Nothing was too much trouble.
“He was a generally healthy man who rode his bike everywhere. Only in the year before he died did he start to have issues that led to him visiting his doctor more frequently.
“We’d like to know how it came to be that our dad was exposed to so much asbestos that it eventually led to his death over 40 years later.”
Asbestos was widely used in several industries until it was finally banned completely in 1999.
It was in demand for its strength as a building material and for its heat-resistant properties as an effective form of lagging for boilers, pipes and other heat producing machinery.
Once inhaled, asbestos sticks to the lungs, where it lies dormant for a very long period while causing severe lung damage. This means that mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases are still being diagnosed due to this.
George’s family have now instructed Bridge Mcfarland solicitors and are appealing for any of his former workmates who can provide eyewitness accounts of working conditions to contact solicitor James Burrell.
Mr Burrell said: “George Johnson was employed by the National Dock Labour Board from 1959 until 1980.
“George Johnson’s s family are appealing to former dockers who remember working with him at any of the Hull Dock sites between 1959 and 1980 to come forward and call me on 01482 320620.”