A FORMER prisoner-of-war collapsed and died in his son's arms following years of exposure to asbestos.
William Henry Taylor, 88, died at his home in Glenathol Road, Great Sutton, on December 16.
A hoseman and pipefitter, he worked for Shell UK in Ellesmere Port from an early age, leaving for several years in the 1940s when he was called up for war.
His son, William David Taylor, told his father's inquest in Chester: 'He was called up with the Cheshires (Regiment) and was a prisoner-of-war from 1940 to 1945. He was captured at Dunkirk. They marched him to the coal mines in Poland. He was three miles from Auschwitz. A few people died in his arms on the way.'
The deceased, one of six children, rejoined Shell in 1947, and worked in pipe-fitting and lagging until his retirement in 1975.
Deputy coroner for Cheshire, Dr Janet Napier, asked Mr Taylor Jr if asbestos had been present in his father's place of work.
He said: 'I believe so, some told me that,' adding his father suffered with chest problems for many years.
Mr Taylor Jr described the day of his father's death, saying: 'I saw him in the bedroom and he was out of breath.
'He staggered out and fell on top of me. I called the ambulance and they did an ECG. They told me he had passed away.'
Countess of Chester Hospital pathologist Dr Bushra Hamid found evidence of a large tumour in Mr Taylor senior.
Recording the cause of death as cardiac tamponade and mesothelioma, Dr Hamid said: 'This diagnosis is in keeping with his history as a fitter.'
Dr Napier said of Mr Taylor Snr: 'He was obviously a remarkable man. He just wanted to live his life without making any complaints.
'He did have a very nasty cancer. They thought it was lung but when doctors examined it, they found it was mesothelioma.
'I'm certain on the balance of probabilities that his death was linked with his job.'
Verdict: Industrial disease.
