Hanorah “Nora” Tobin was born at Chapel Road, Mondeligo, County Waterford, Ireland, on the 15th April 1884, the daughter of Thomas and Mary Tobin (née O’Donnell). Her parents were farmers.
In February 1914, she boarded the Cunard liner, Andania, at Queenstown and sailed to Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States of America, where her married sister, Mrs. Mary Butler lived. She found work in Boston as a domestic servant.
In the spring of 1915; however, she decided to return to Waterford and as a result, bought a third class ticket on the Lusitania, which was due to leave New York harbour on the morning of 1st May 1915.
Arriving from Boston in time for this sailing, she had to wait until just after mid-day for the liner to sail, whilst the liner embarked passengers, crew and cargo from the liner Cameronia, which had been requisitioned by the British Admiralty as a troopship. Then, the great Cunarder finally slipped her moorings and sailed out into the North River - and her date with destiny!
Six days later, after the vessel had been torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-20, Nora Tobin managed to escape the fate of many others and having been rescued from the sea, she was landed at Queenstown, from where she eventually managed to make it home!
Once there, she applied to The Lusitania Relief Fund, for financial assistance. This fund had been set up after the liner had been torpedoed, by The Lord Mayor of Liverpool and other local business people, to help second and third class passenger survivors (and the relatives of those who had perished), who had suffered hardship as a result of the sinking.
In August 1915, the awards committee turned down her application, however, on the grounds that there was no apparent need!
Nora Tobin never returned to Boston, and on the 14th October 1920, she married Michael John Connors of Cluttahinna, Affane, which was quite close to her home, at the church in Mount Melleray, County Waterford. Her husband was a farmer, and following their marriage, they resided on her husband’s farm.
Nora Connors died in February 1976, aged 91 years.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1901 Census of Ireland, 1911 Census of Ireland, Massachusetts Passenger Lists 1820 – 1963, Cunard Records, Dungarvan Observer, Liverpool Record Office, PRO BT 100/345, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.