NAVAL exercises off Falmouth during May 1910 resulted in the village of Flushing being plunged into mourning when news reached the shore that the 40ft trawler Olivia, with five local men aboard, had been sunk by a Royal Navy destroyer with the loss of four lives.

The Olivia's owner Richard Barron, who lived in Coventry Road, Flushing, his two sons Thomas and Jim and fellow fishermen Walter Warren and John Tregaskis had sailed from Flushing to the Manacles area to fish off Porthallow.

Destroyers from the Nore Destroyer Flotilla were using Falmouth as a base port for their daily exercises in the bay. The destroyers HMS Patrol and HMS Quail were conducting their final exercise of what had been a hectic fortnight. Quail, positioned south of St Anthony's lighthouse, was under instructions to attack and fire a dummy torpedo at the Patrol as she was steaming off the Helford River.

A flare rocket, fired from the Patrol, signalled the start of the exercise. Quail built up speed to 21 knots as she homed in on Patrol which by this time was in close proximity of the Olivia. Searchlights from the Patrol illuminated Quail, blinding those on the bridge, as the destroyer made her final torpedo run. Seconds later Quail ploughed into the Olivia at full speed slicing her in half.

Richard Barron, 68, and John Tregaskis were pulled from the water by crew members from the Patrol but Barron died on the warship.

An inquest was held at Falmouth Town Hall when the jury foreman said: "We find that the deceased, Richard Barron died from shock caused by his vessel, the Olivia, being run into by HMS Patrol. The accident was caused by an error of judgement on the part of Commander Leake, HMS Patrol, in giving the signal to HMS Quail to attack his vessel. We attach no blame to the commanding officer of Quail who only carried out orders given."