Family appeals for information after former lift engineer dies from rare form of cancer

Daniel Mansfield

Published: 11:03 AM June 28, 2016

Updated: 4:28 PM November 1, 2020

Anthony White - Credit: Archant

The family of a former lift engineer is appealing to his former workmates for help after he died from a rare form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos decades before symptoms began to appear.

Anthony Charles White, from Elsworth, near Papworth Everard, died from mesothelioma in May 2015 aged 68 after a short battle with the disease.

His widow, Irene, 69, known to her friends and family and as Gill, and his two children Heidi and Hannah have instructed specialist law firm at Irwin Mitchell to investigate how and where Anthony was exposed to the asbestos that caused him to develop mesothelioma.

Before his death, he told them that he believed he was exposed to asbestos during his career as a lift engineer, specifically during his employment with Maryatt & Scott Ltd, between 1963 and 1969, and later during his time with Schindler’s Lifts Limited, from 1968 until 1988.

Anthony’s widow Gill said: “Anthony’s diagnosis came as a complete shock to all of us and it was terrible to see him in so much pain and how much he had to struggle to do a number of everyday tasks.

“We have been left absolutely heartbroken by his death and we now want to find out if more should have been done, by the companies he dedicated most of his working life to, to protect him from the dangers of asbestos.

“We hope that those who worked alongside him at Schindler’s Lifts and during his apprenticeship at Maryatt & Scott Ltd will come forward and provide the information we need to ensure we get justice in his name.”