Family Of Ex-British Rail Worker Calls On Former Colleagues To Help Win Justice For Great Grand-Dad Who Died Of Asbestos-Related Cancer

The son of a former British Rail worker has spoken of his anguish at watching his previously healthy father ‘rapidly deteriorate’ and die, following a shock diagnosis of an asbestos-related cancer.

Ted Robinson, from Gravesend, Kent, who is believed to have been exposed to deadly asbestos particles when he worked for many years at a British Rail depot, Nine Elms, developed incurable mesothelioma late last year and died from the condition in June 2026, aged 91.

Ted’s son, Daren Robinson, recalled how his dad told him he used to wear a scarf around his face when he unloaded bags of imported asbestos from trains, to try and protect himself from dust. Ted is a father of two, grandfather to five and great grandfather to four.

Daren, 64, has told of his family’s devastation at the diagnosis following painful biopsies and months of investigation. Ted did not receive any treatment, as his condition was unfortunately too advanced. Ted’s family are devastated by his death.

Daren, from Sevenoaks, Kent, said: “When dad came over for Christmas, we could see that he wasn’t himself and his condition rapidly deteriorated. He went from doing everything for himself and living independently, to struggling to even eat or drink. He used to love quizzes and was a lifelong reader, he was very sharp and yet, in the final stage of his life, he didn’t have the energy to turn the TV on.

“The impact that this has had on us is huge. Dad lived on his own after losing my mum, Bridie, in the eighties. He was a very dignified person and didn’t want our help. However, because of the mesothelioma, he needed full-time care and despite our best efforts, we struggled to do it ourselves. We tried our hardest to make sure he was comfortable and looked after. He lost a lot of weight and said that he didn’t want to go on like that. It was devastating.

“Dad was fit as a fiddle and I used to joke that he would outlive me. He never smoked or touched alcohol, he didn’t take a lot of medication as he didn’t trust it. He was football-mad and played at a company football match at his last job, when he was 72 years old. I remember how he used to cycle everywhere. Up until his illness, he was getting out of the house every day.”

Daren is now appealing to his dad’s former colleagues to come forward to give evidence about asbestos materials arriving into and being transported out of Nine Elms and help hold Ted’s former employers to account. The family has instructed specialist mesothelioma lawyers from Hodge Jones & Allen to investigate.

Ted worked at British Rail’s depot in Nine Elms, south London, from 1949 until the late 1960s. He was known to his colleagues as ‘Teddy Robbo’ and worked at Nine Elms alongside his dad, brother and two sisters. Anyone who may remember the Robinson family from the Nine Elms depot is asked to come forward to help support Ted’s claim.

It is believed that Ted was exposed to asbestos dust when he loaded and unloaded bags of asbestos cargo, which had arrived into Nine Elms on freight trains from Southampton docks, with the asbestos cargo having originally come from South Africa. Ted unloaded the bags of asbestos from the trains and then helped load the bags onto waiting lorries so the asbestos could be distributed locally.

Asbestos is the main cause of mesothelioma and was widely used across the country until it was banned in 1999. Due to the insidious nature of the toxic fibres, it typically takes many decades after the exposure for victims to show symptoms of the incurable illness.

Daren, a dad of two, said: “Dad was a dedicated family man and he loved nothing more than spending time with his grand-kids and he was thrilled to be a great grand-dad many times over. We are begging anyone who knows more to come forward with information. He died from this asbestos-related cancer and he deserves justice.”

Lorna Webster, partner within the Asbestos and Workplace Illness team, at Hodge Jones & Allen, said: “Ted’s family are desperately seeking answers about how he was exposed to asbestos which has robbed him of his final years with his family. We are calling on anybody who worked with Ted at the Nine Elms depot to come forward and assist him and his family with evidence of workers being exposed to deadly asbestos dust, to ensure his family get some semblance of justice in the civil courts.”

If you think you may have information which could help the appeal, please contact: Lorna Webster on lwebster@hja.net or phone 0330 822 3451