Greater Manchester Asbestos Victims Support Group oral history project

Oral history project, conducted in 2014-2015 by Nigel Ingham of the Open University on behalf of the Greater Manchester Asbestos Victims Support Group, interviewing members of the Group.
There were 7 interviews in total and the collection comprises audio recordings, full transcripts, summaries and photographs for all interviews.
The interviewees comprise 5 women, widowed through mesothelioma (an asbestos-related disease), and 2 men who at the time were current sufferers. Of the 5 widows, 3 had been bereaved for up to 10 years, while two others lost their respective loved ones in the previous 12 months.
The interviews cover life story details, the social and economic context in which asbestos exposure occurred, the patient journey with mesothelioma, as well as the individual, emotional, family and social impact of the disease. Heavy industries such as textile mills, power stations are featured in the material, as well as shops, schools, and other 'lighter' contexts. The trades of those exposed to asbestos include electrical engineering, painting and decorating, joinery, shopfitting, bricklaying and tiling.
Geographically, the material predominantly covers Lancashire and Greater Manchester, but also references London.
Temporally, the material covers the decades following World War II up to approximately 2015.

The Greater Manchester Asbestos Victims Support Group is a registered charity which provides support to people with asbestos-related diseases and their families. In Britain, asbestos is typically associated with Britain's tradition of heavy industry, due to its widespread use in power stations, shipbuilding, factories, and dockyards, but asbestos was also used in the construction of a wide variety of building types, including shops and schools.

Nigel Ingham is a researcher with a particular interest in community oral history and the social history of learning disability.

Restricted. Please contact University of Strathclyde Archives to enquire about access.

Donated by the Greater Manchester Asbestos Victims Support Group to the Scottish Oral History Centre Archive at the University of Strathclyde in 2017.

The Greater Manchester Asbestos Victims Support Group is a registered charity which provides support to people with asbestos-related diseases and their families. In Britain, asbestos is typically associated with Britain's tradition of heavy industry, due to its widespread use in power stations, shipbuilding, factories, and dockyards, but asbestos was also used in the construction of a wide variety of building types, including shops and schools.

Nigel Ingham is a researcher with a particular interest in community oral history and the social history of learning disability.

Created by Andrew Kennedy, volunteer, December 2017. Revised by Victoria Peters, January 2018.

This collection is part of the Scottish Oral History Centre Archive.

published