Widow Instructs Irwin Mitchell To Help Her Gain Justice Following

The wife of a former Smith Corona Ltd worker who died from the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma, is appealing for former workers to help her find out how her husband came to be exposed to the deadly substance.

Michael Davies, of Cannock, Staffordshire, died on 22 October last year aged 74 after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer of the lining of the lungs, in September 2017. He leaves behind his wife and son. The terminal illness takes decades to develop following exposure to harmful asbestos.

His widow Patricia instructed expert asbestos-related disease lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate how her husband came to be exposed to the deadly substance many years ago.

Michael was known as Mick to his family and friends. Patricia, who married Mick on 28 May 1966, is now appealing to Mick’s former colleagues at Smith Corona to come forward with information about the conditions in which he worked.

She said: “This terrible illness took him so very quickly and we were shocked at how quickly the illness took him from us. I would really like answers as to how Mick came to develop this dreadful illness.”

After leaving school, Mick began working at Smith Corona Marchant. In the late 1950’s Smith Corona Marchant, an American firm, acquired British Typewriter Limited in 1958. It was there that Mick met Patricia and they began courting.

West Bromwich was once a centre for typewriter manufacturing. British Typewriters Limited was a large manufacturer and originally operated out of the Salter factory on Thomas Street.

Shortly before they were acquired by Smith Corona Marchant, they moved location and were based on Birmingham Road in West Bromwich on the corner of Kelvin way. The building is still in existence and stands next to the traffic island for the M5 motorway junction.

The company had a colourful history. During our research we came across photos showing that Miss Ghana visited the factory in 1957! 

In 1958, Smith Corona Marchant acquired the company which turned to making Smith Corona products and continued to be based on Birmingham Road in West Bromwich until its closure in 1981.

Mick worked in the maintenance team as an apprentice and worked throughout the entire factory on maintenance welding to ensure that production ran smoothly, and also maintaining the fabric of the building. Mick worked for Smith Corona Marchant until around 1965.

Expert Opinion

Mesothelioma is an extremely aggressive, and sadly, incurable, form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos dust and fibres – something which leads to the death of more than 2,500 people in the UK every year.

“We are investigating Mick’s exposure during his time at Smith Corona and hope that those who worked alongside him will come forward with any information they have about the presence of asbestos and what measures were in place to protect employees from exposure to the deadly dust and fibres.

“We hope to help Mick’s family understand how and where he was exposed to asbestos as they continue to seek answers following his sudden death just mere weeks after his diagnosis.” Alida Coates - Partner & Head of Asbestos and Occupational Disease (South)

Anyone with information about working conditions at Smith Corona Ltd in the early 1960s is asked to contact Alida Coates at Irwin Mitchell on 0121 214 5230 or email alida.coates@irwinmitchell.com

Read more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in handling asbestos-related disease cases.