A museum has launched a search for the family of a Second World War cook in a bid to return a "treasured" watch kept safe for 80 years.

Riverside Museum in Glasgow is hoping to trace the family of Sidney Worrall, a cook aboard the ill-fated Second World War ship SS Athenia.

Built in Glasgow in 1923, the Athenia was the first British ship to be sunk by Germany during the conflict.

Worrall was badly injured in a torpedo attack in September 1939 when the force of an explosion knocked a huge pan off the ship's cooker and doused him in boiling oil.

During the rescue, he passed on his seemingly unremarkable wristwatch to Canadian passenger Gerry Hutchinson.

When Gerry died, his son Rob donated the watch to the Riverside Museum.

Rob believed Mr Worrall had died but the museum later discovered he survived his injuries.

"My father Gerry was a passenger on board and as the order to abandon ship came, he helped to load and then man the lifeboats," Rob said.

"He ended up in lifeboat six, which also carried the two badly injured cooks. My father did what he could for them over the next few hours, making them as comfortable as possible.

"One of them, named Sid, was really ill when he pressed his wristwatch into my dad's hand saying 'please look after my watch for me'."

The rescue ship took survivors from the Athenia to Galway, Ireland, and the two cooks were taken to hospital.

Rob continued: "My dad grew to treasure the watch that he had been entrusted with. He returned home and eventually became a minister of the United Church of Canada.

"He didn't talk about his experiences much but when he did he would show the wristwatch and talk about Sid."

In 2015, Rob decided to donate some of his father's Athenia-related items to the Riverside Museum, which is preparing to put the wristwatch on display.

Museum curator Emily Malcolm's research led to the discovery of Mr Worrall's hidden story.

She said: "I was extremely surprised to find that Sidney Worrall, the second fish cook on board Athenia, didn't die after the sinking.

"The records are very patchy but it looked as if he had recovered and gone on to live and marry in Scotland.

"Together with Rob and his family in Canada we would love the public's help in tracing Sid's relatives."

He added: " I think they would be genuinely touched to learn that Gerry had kept his treasured watch safe all these years.

"We hope that, with their blessing, it can go on show at Riverside to help tell the important story of the Athenia disaster and those that were on board on that fateful day."