A DAILY ECHO report dating from Friday August 27, 1920 has helped in one man's search to find out more about the death of his great-grandfather on the famous liner, the Berengaria.

Mark Jerrim, a father-of-three from Bluebell Road, Bassett, Southampton, was intrigued to read our story published on April 25 about the Berengaria, later renamed the Imperator, the ship in which his great-grandfather, Henry Jerrim, had been killed by a coal fall inside the coalbunker in August 1920.

Mr Jerrim, a 36-year-old manager at Watts Tyre Depot in Millbrook, Southampton, has been researching his family's heritage for three years and traced his roots as far back as 1782.

He was first alerted by his father to the fact that his great-grandfather had been killed on the Imperator.

Mark took his search to the archives of Southampton's Central Library, where he discovered an article dating from 1920 describing the inquest, heard by Coroner Mr H K Pope, of how the 51-year-old had died.

The article was entitled "Buried by coal, sad fatality on the Imperator. Sholing man's death". It featured a number of eye-witness accounts including that of Charles Fulford, 13, of Princess Street, Chapel, who was working with the deceased at the time of the fatality, who "suddenly heard a rush of coal and looked for Jerrim, but he and the coal upon which he had been standing had disappeared. There was a depth of 30ft of coal where they were standing, and this led through a trap door in the iron deck to the bunker at the bottom of the ship".

He surmised that the subsidence was due to the coal having been drawn from beneath, without them being given warning. Coal often fell in this manner, but this was the first time he had known a serious case.

James Leo Bradley, engineer on the SS Imperator, who was in charge of the port watch in the engine room at the time of subsidence, stated that coal was being drawn from No 2 bunker about the time of the accident. No extraordinary amount of coal was being drawn at any time, and, in his opinion, coal was not drawn in such a quantity as to cause the accident.

A verdict of accidental death was returned, based on the evidence of Dr Ives that the victim had died of suffocation and a rider was issued saying that a system of warning be organised to prevent a recurrence of such an incident.

Mr Jerrim is keen to talk to anyone who may have more information about the accident or indeed any other members of the Jerrim family he has as yet been unable to contact.

In particular Nellie Parker and her daughters Jean and Mary Parker; Myrtle Wells whose father, James Jerrim, was Mr Jerrim's second uncle who lived in Montagu Avenue, Sholing; Brian and Keith Sharp whose mother and father were Kate (born 1870) and James Sharp (born 1869).

He would also like to find relatives of Martha Noyce and Elizabeth Charlotte Banks and to contact a lady from Mottisfont, near Romsey, with regard to Mary Jerrim. Contact Heritage - the information can be forwarded to Mr Jerrim.