Holbourn was a second-class passenger on the RMS Lusitania on her last voyage in May 1915. During the voyage, Holbourn befriended 12-year-old Avis Dolphin, who was being escorted to school and family in England by two nurses, Hilda Ellis and Sarah Smith.
With his insights into the largely hushed-up events surrounding the wreck of the RMS Oceanic off Foula, Professor Holbourn was aware of the imminent dangers presented to ocean liners during World War I and as such was prepared to face the worst. Holbourn had insisted that Captain William Thomas Turner order lifeboat drills, instruct passengers on how to wear lifejackets, and that more such precautions be taken. His efforts to stimulate safety awareness during a time of war were not appreciated and he was told to keep quiet.
When the ship was torpedoed, Holbourn guided Avis and the nurses to his cabin where he fitted them with life belts, even offering up his own; he then steered them through the dark, tilting passageways to the decks above and into a lifeboat. This lifeboat capsized while lowering. Avis was saved; her nurses were not.
Holbourn dived into the ocean to find himself surrounded by a mass of bodies and wreckage. His hope of reaching the nearest boat was interrupted when he was compelled to aid a man who was floating helplessly nearby. By the time Holbourn found his way to a boat, the man he had pulled along with him was dead.
Holbourn was picked up by the fishing boat Wanderer of Peel and later transferred to the Stormcock. Holbourn was one of over 750 rescued from the Lusitania to arrive at Queenstown, Ireland that night.
Read more about this topic: Ian Holbourn (writer)