Extracts from "The Union-Castle and the War 1914-1919 by E.F. Knight published by the Company in 1920.

On the loss of the troopship "Leasowe Castle" May 27th 1918.

"The 'Leasowe Castle' was a 10,000 ton ship, which, having been built in England for a Greek firm, was requisitioned by the Admiralty and handed over to the Union-castle Company.   

She was commanded by Captain Holl, a fine sailor and a very popular captain of the Union-Castle Line................"

"It was largely due to the precautions which Captain Holl used to take before sailing that so few lives were lost in the disaster.   

His officers have told me that he was untiring in his work of organisation.   Daily while lying at anchor he used to lower a number of his boats and train men in rowing, sailing, the use of sea anchors, and, of course, in clearing away and launching of boats.   he also before leaving port used to train a portion of the troops under his charge in the handling of boats, and he saw to it that complete arrangements were made for falling in of the men at emergency stations............"

"Nothing was seen of Captain Holl after the disaster.  He had been last heard giving the order, "Every man for himself," (this after seeing all boats away with all 2,900 troops OGK) from the sinking ship.  

The Chief Officer, in his report, wrote of the Captain that, "in his consideration for the safety of all those under his care, he never for one instant thought of his own safety, and went down with his ship"   

During the hour and a half that the ship floated, whenever the Chief Officer reported to him, Captain Holl said: "Do your utmost; they must be saved."   "Several times he came down on to the boat deck, encouraging and exhorting the men to further efforts, always cheerful, always hopeful."   

Captain Holl was posthumously awarded the Board of Trade Medal for gallantry (silver).

Edward John Holl was born in 1868 in Bermondsey, London.

He spent his early maritime career in the merchant fleet. According to one account, in 1886 — when he was about 18 — he was an apprentice aboard the cargo-clipper Dunnottar Castle. During that voyage the ship ran aground at a remote atoll in the Pacific. Holl volunteered among a small group to attempt reaching help in an open boat. After a harrowing 52-day drift they reached land over 1,200 miles away. This ordeal demonstrated early on his “instinct to survive.”

Over years he worked his way up in the merchant marine, eventually becoming a respected ship’s master with the Union-Castle Line.

Role in WWI & Final Command

During WWI he commanded several ships. In 1917 he was master of the hospital ship HMHS Gloucester Castle, which was torpedoed in the English Channel. Holl managed to beach the vessel on Stoke’s Bay (Isle of Wight), saving over 600 wounded troops. Only three lives were lost — among them many credited Holl’s seamanship and decisive action. For this, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC).

Later in 1918 he took command of the troop transport HMT Leasowe Castle. On the night of 26–27 May 1918, while carrying about 3,000 troops and crew from Alexandria en route to Marseilles, the ship was torpedoed (by the German U-boat UB-51).

Despite the torpedo strike, the ship remained afloat for roughly two hours, allowing a largely successful evacuation. Thanks to prior safety drills—reportedly insisted upon by Holl—only about 90 people remained onboard when the ship sank. Over 2,900 lives were saved. Holl, however, refused to abandon ship; according to survivors his last words were reportedly “Do your utmost — they must be saved.” He went down with the ship along with six of his crew men. At least 85 military personnel perished.

For his wartime services, including this final voyage, Holl’s name appears in the official honours list — the 1917 edition of The London Gazette includes his award of the Distinguished Service Cross for “zeal and devotion to duty” in the Mercantile Marine.

Holl is often remembered as a courageous and competent captain who maintained calm and discipline under extreme pressure. Survivors of the Leasowe Castle sinking praised his “cool and encouraging authority in a crisis.”

His story — from near-death survival in youth to final sacrifice in WWI — is sometimes cited as emblematic of bravery in maritime service. The sinking of the Leasowe Castle is noted as one of the tragic but heroically managed losses during WWI convoys.