Father drowns in 'Herculean' effort to save children from boating accident He was last seen standing in the flow before diving in to try and save seven-year-old Archie, six-year-old Flossie and Freddie. Witnesses saw the children bobbing up and down before the force of the water ripped off their lifejackets. Archie and Flossie were saved by a neighbour, Matthew Macfayden, who threw them his grappling hook he used for fishing while their father tried to swim to them. Mr Macfayden then plunged into the water himself and rescued the older children but could not reach Freddie and could no longer see their father. In a statement read out at the inquest in Leamington, Mrs Mynott, 42, described her husband as a "totally competent sailor" who made sure his children wore lifejackets when boating. She recalled the children's excitement when their father returned from a short trip out on the river on May 12 and told them he had seen a tree partly fallen into the water. She said: "It was a sunny day, so Julian said he would take them to see it. Freddie was also eager to go and it was hard to say no. I can still see him running down the garden path as they left. After a prolonged search, the bodies of Mr Mynott and Freddie were recovered near the weir. The boat was found smashed in half but its outboard motor was never recovered. Recording a verdict of accidental death for both Mr Mynott and Freddie, coroner Sean McGovern said: "This was a terrible accident. We will never know why this small boat went over the weir. Mr Mynott could have easily saved himself, but he chose not to. He died in his attempt to save his children. Many residents did their absolute best to try to pull the children from the water. Mr Macfayden in particular should be recognised for his bravery. Speaking after the inquest, Det Insp Colin Jones, who led the police operation, said: "We can never know exactly what happened in the boat, but we have heard today of the Herculean efforts of a father to protect and save his children in the most challenging and overwhelming of situations."