In August 1925 council labourer Merrick Mead collapsed after jumping from a ladder propped against a beech tree in Caldecott Park.

Mr Mead, a 32-year-old father-of-three, suffered a brain hemorrhage and despite being taken to the Hospital of St Cross could not be revived.

His death made the Advertiser's August 21 edition but the story would have ended there had it not been for Mr Mead's granddaughter Julie Barks who began to trace her family history a few months ago.

Having discovered that Mr Mead was buried in a pauper's grave in Clifton Road Cemetery Julie decided to buy a park bench to serve as a proper memorial to the granddad she never knew.

Julie, a 51-year-old mother-of-four from Nottingham, said: "My dad, Stanley, was only five when Merrick died and he never really spoke about him.

"Most people have strong relationships with their granddads but I never had the chance with Merrick.

"That's why I decided to get a bench. It will be placed in Caldecott Park, close to the bandstand, sometime next month."

Mr Mead, who lived in Railway Terrace, was born in London as the illegitimate son of famous chemist Thomas Beecham.

After fighting in the First World War he settled in Rugby with his wife Dorothy. He worked for BTH and then took a labourer's job with Rugby Urban District Council.

Julie added: "He died in a very strange way. He had gone up a tree to remove dead wood and was coming down a ladder when he jumped off three steps from the bottom.

"His co-workers thought he was just dizzy but a blood vessel had burst close to his brain causing a hemorrhage which paralysed him instantly.

"His friends and family all thought he was healthy. But back then no-one spotted his epileptic warning signs or knew what they would lead to. I get the impression he lived a tough life that was cut tragically short."