Avis Dolphin
Encyclopedia
Avis Gertrude Dolphin-Foley (born August 1903, England
, resided 1905-1916 St. Thomas, Ontario
, Canada
; died February 5, 1996, Wales
, United Kingdom
) was a survivor of the sinking of the RMS Lusitania
.
Dolphin was on her way to England aboard Lusitania
where she would be attending school when she befriended author and professor Ian Holbourn. She was in a second-class stateroom during the voyage. She had just sat down to lunch and coffee was being served during the torpedo attack. The resulting list was so sudden and violent that dishes crashed off the tables, the scene was one of "absolute calm."
Holburn was able to get Avis and her two nurses into lifebelts, onto the deck, and into a lifeboat. However, the lifeboat capsized when two men attempted to jump into it. Avis was rescued from the ocean, but her two nurses were not.
After her quick recovery in Queenstown, she continued to care for Holbourn who was still suffering from exposure. She continued her friendship with Holbourn up to the end of his life, even suggesting to him once that books written for girls were too boring; in response, Holbourn wrote the bestseller "The Child of the Moat."
Dolphin would later be introduced to journalist Thomas Foley during a visit to Holbourn's home and the two were married in 1926. For many years, she contributed her account of the sinking of the Lusitania to several journalists and documentary crews. She is credited as a contributor in the National Geographic documentary "Last Voyage of the Lusitania" and also is a contributor to the In Search Of episode Lusitania. Finally, her younger self, about age 12, is depicted in a BBC movie of the Lusitania sinking: "Lusitania: Murder in the Atlantic", in which she is played by Madeleine Garrood.
Avis Dolphin lived out the rest of her life in Wales. She died peacefully on February 5, 1996.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, resided 1905-1916 St. Thomas, Ontario
St. Thomas, Ontario
St. Thomas is a city in southern , Ontario, Canada. It is the seat for Elgin County and gained its city charter on March 4, 1881.-History:...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
; died February 5, 1996, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) was a survivor of the sinking of the RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
.
Dolphin was on her way to England aboard Lusitania
Lusitania
Lusitania or Hispania Lusitania was an ancient Roman province including approximately all of modern Portugal south of the Douro river and part of modern Spain . It was named after the Lusitani or Lusitanian people...
where she would be attending school when she befriended author and professor Ian Holbourn. She was in a second-class stateroom during the voyage. She had just sat down to lunch and coffee was being served during the torpedo attack. The resulting list was so sudden and violent that dishes crashed off the tables, the scene was one of "absolute calm."
Holburn was able to get Avis and her two nurses into lifebelts, onto the deck, and into a lifeboat. However, the lifeboat capsized when two men attempted to jump into it. Avis was rescued from the ocean, but her two nurses were not.
After her quick recovery in Queenstown, she continued to care for Holbourn who was still suffering from exposure. She continued her friendship with Holbourn up to the end of his life, even suggesting to him once that books written for girls were too boring; in response, Holbourn wrote the bestseller "The Child of the Moat."
Dolphin would later be introduced to journalist Thomas Foley during a visit to Holbourn's home and the two were married in 1926. For many years, she contributed her account of the sinking of the Lusitania to several journalists and documentary crews. She is credited as a contributor in the National Geographic documentary "Last Voyage of the Lusitania" and also is a contributor to the In Search Of episode Lusitania. Finally, her younger self, about age 12, is depicted in a BBC movie of the Lusitania sinking: "Lusitania: Murder in the Atlantic", in which she is played by Madeleine Garrood.
Avis Dolphin lived out the rest of her life in Wales. She died peacefully on February 5, 1996.
Resources
- The Lusitania Resource
- Avis Foley on In Search Of: Lusitania (YouTube, Alan Landsburg Productions)
- Avis Dolphin in Lusitania: Murder on the Atlantic (YouTube, BBC)
- IMDB Lusitania: Murder on the Atlantic