He worked in the areas where the uranium was fed into tanks to be melted down. The pipe work in this area was covered with asbestos lagging because of the high temperatures involved.
In September 1963 he transferred to the Nuclear Reactor Site at Winfrith, Dorset. He was also exposed to asbestos there because many of the pipes were covered with asbestos insulation, again because of the high temperatures involved.
Mr Hewitt was diagnosed with mesothelioma in March 2015. He was 90 years old when he was given this diagnosis but had been very active until the onset of symptoms in January of that year. He had shared the housework with his wife and had regularly walked into town to do the shopping before suffering from mesothelioma. His wife suffers from osteoporosis and had relied on him to do some of the more strenuous household chores as well as shopping.
Mr Hewitt instructed Caroline Pinfold to pursue a claim against the UKAEA in April 2015 and she successfully concluded this for him in September 2015.
Mr Hewitt was very pleased that the matter had been settled during his lifetime and commented:
"Caroline has worked hard and proved to be a sincere and professional lawyer, with a satisfactory result with my claim. Thank you so very much indeed."