Rob Dawber
Encyclopedia
Robert "Rob" Dawber was a British railwayman turned writer whose script for the film The Navigators
was commissioned by director Ken Loach
and shot in Sheffield
, where Dawber lived. He was a long-standing member of the Trotskyist
group the Alliance for Workers' Liberty
.
, South Yorkshire
and, having studied Politics and English at Leicester University, decided to pursue a career on the railways.
He had strong political beliefs, and during his time as a railwayman he "became a branch secretary for the National Union of Railwaymen
, and wrote for Socialist Organiser
and Off The Rails, a bulletin for rail workers. His Fat Controller column mercilessly lampooned the rail managers who squandered the opportunities of the nationalised industries".
Following privatisation
of the railways from 1994, Dawber was made redundant and he took the decision to begin writing a film script. After sending his work to Ken Loach, his script about the breakup of the nationalised railways through privatisation was commissioned.
caused by handling asbestos
during the course of his work on the railway.
Rob searched the world for therapies and treatments, but died on February 20, 2001 at the age of 45. He saw The Navigators completed but did not live to see its release.
Ken Loach, in his Guardian obituary of Rob Dawber, wrote that "Working people have lost a champion".
The Navigators (film)
The Navigators is a 2001 British film directed by Ken Loach with screenplay by Rob Dawber.It tells the story of the reactions of five Sheffield rail workers to the privatisation of the railway maintenance organisation for which they all work, and the consequences for them...
was commissioned by director Ken Loach
Ken Loach
Kenneth "Ken" Loach is a Palme D'Or winning English film and television director.He is known for his naturalistic, social realist directing style and for his socialist beliefs, which are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as homelessness , labour rights and child abuse at the...
and shot in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, where Dawber lived. He was a long-standing member of the Trotskyist
Trotskyism
Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. Trotsky considered himself an orthodox Marxist and Bolshevik-Leninist, arguing for the establishment of a vanguard party of the working-class...
group the Alliance for Workers' Liberty
Alliance for Workers' Liberty
The Alliance for Workers' Liberty , also known as Workers' Liberty, is a Trotskyist group in Britain. The group has a complex history but has always been identified with the theorist Sean Matgamna...
.
Background
Dawber grew up in Wath-upon-DearneWath-upon-Dearne
Wath-upon-Dearne is a small town on the south side of the Dearne Valley in the historic county of the West Riding of Yorkshire and the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, lying 5 miles north of Rotherham, almost midway between Barnsley and Doncaster. It has a population...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
and, having studied Politics and English at Leicester University, decided to pursue a career on the railways.
He had strong political beliefs, and during his time as a railwayman he "became a branch secretary for the National Union of Railwaymen
National Union of Railwaymen
The National Union of Railwaymen was a trade union of railway workers in the United Kingdom. It an industrial union founded in 1913 by the merger of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants , the United Pointsmen and Signalmen's Society and the General Railway Workers' Union .The NUR...
, and wrote for Socialist Organiser
Socialist Organiser
Socialist Organiser was a weekly socialist newspaper circulated in the Labour Party. The newspaper was founded in 1979 by the Socialist Campaign for a Labour Victory, later renamed the Socialist Organiser Alliance....
and Off The Rails, a bulletin for rail workers. His Fat Controller column mercilessly lampooned the rail managers who squandered the opportunities of the nationalised industries".
Following privatisation
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
of the railways from 1994, Dawber was made redundant and he took the decision to begin writing a film script. After sending his work to Ken Loach, his script about the breakup of the nationalised railways through privatisation was commissioned.
Illness and death
One week after this news, Rob discovered he was suffering from mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
caused by handling asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
during the course of his work on the railway.
Rob searched the world for therapies and treatments, but died on February 20, 2001 at the age of 45. He saw The Navigators completed but did not live to see its release.
Ken Loach, in his Guardian obituary of Rob Dawber, wrote that "Working people have lost a champion".