Mr Bernard Dunn, originally from Manchester, passed away on 29 January 2024, just months after being diagnosed with mesothelioma – an aggressive and terminal cancer caused by historic exposure to asbestos, with symptoms often not appearing until decades after contact. 

He leaves behind his daughter, Jennifer Bathgate, who now lives in Canada, and who is seeking information about whether more could have been done to protect her father during his working life. 

Mr Dunn spent much of his career working in sales at companies including Newton Chambers & Co, Steel Radiators Limited, and its successors Stelrad Group and MB Group Sterad Hull, before taking over a computer shop in Stirling in 1990, and later taking a role in technology sales before his retirement in 2003.  

 

Mr Dunn when he was younger.

However, his earlier working life was spent as a heating engineer, working for companies including WM Bailey & Co Ltd (also known locally as William Bailey) in Manchester between 1961 and 1967.  

Jennifer has instructed specialist asbestos experts at Thompsons Solicitors to assist with investigations and is appealing for information from anyone who worked with him throughout his career – particularly during the 1960s, when he worked on heating and boiler systems across industrial sites in the northwest of England. 

“Following his diagnosis, I spoke to dad a lot about the work he did and where he might have been exposed,” Jennifer said. “While he spent much of his later career in sales – even running his own store at one point – he began his working life as a heating engineer. 

“He told me he often worked in boiler and furnace rooms alongside laggers. These workers would mix dry asbestos with water to make a paste for pipe insulation, and the rooms were often very dusty. He described coming home from shifts covered in asbestos dust, and said no protective equipment was ever provided.” 

Despite being fit and active into his later years, Mr Dunn's condition deteriorated rapidly after his diagnosis in September 2023. He experienced severe side effects from immunotherapy and was admitted to hospital in December 2023, before being moved to a palliative care facility where he died peacefully. 

“His decline was rapid and hard to watch,” Jennifer added. “Just 12 months before his death, he was playing pickleball, walking, and doing chores around the house. By the end, he could barely breathe and was in constant discomfort. I miss him very much.” 

Thompsons Solicitors, led by industrial disease specialist Nicholas Seymour, is now investigating the circumstances of Mr Dunn’s exposure and whether more should have been done by his former employers to prevent it. 

They are particularly keen to hear from anyone who worked at WM Bailey & Co Ltd in Manchester between 1961 and 1967, particularly those involved in pipe insulation, boiler work, or who were based in furnace rooms. 

Nicholas Seymour, of Thompsons Solicitors, said: “This has been a very difficult time for the family, who are still grieving their loss while seeking justice for what happened and are understandably desperate to better understand the circumstances of his exposure to asbestos. 

“As part of our ongoing investigations would welcome the opportunity to speak to anyone who worked alongside Mr Dunn at any stage of his career, and particularly during his time as a heating engineer in Manchester in the 1960s.” 

Anyone with information is asked to contact Nicholas Seymour at Thompsons Solicitors on 07974 354 276, or via email at NicholasSeymour@thompsons.law.