Telford man saves life of fellow passenger on luxury holiday

Maurice Halliday leapt into action when 71-year-old Richard Simpson collapsed and stopped breathing aboard the P&O cruise liner Azura.

The 67-year-old was standing in a bar just yards away when Mr Simpson, from Northamptonshire, collapsed and banged his head as he fell.

Mr Halliday, who was today still aboard the 3,000-passenger Azura when it docked in Palma, Majorca, said: “It happened at about 9pm on Saturday when we were both in the Mala bar area of the ship.

“I heard a loud bang and about 10 yards away I saw Mr Simpson had fallen and had a large gash on his head where he had banged it on the way down.

“I went to his aid and got some serviettes to stem the bleeding. I then put him in the recovery position.

“After a couple of minutes his heart and breathing stopped so I flipped him over onto his back and started resuscitation.

“After the first bout of giving him heart massage I checked but there were no signs of life and so I gave him a second bout and checked again. There was still no life so I tried for a third time and all of a sudden his chest heaved and he started breathing again.”

Mr Halliday, who is three weeks into a month-long cruise of the Mediterranean, said Mr Simpson’s heart had stopped beating for about five or six minutes before he managed to revive him and an on-board medical team arrived.

Mr Simpson was today recovering onboard. Mr Halliday said: “His wife was just so grateful and thanked me for what I had done.”

Mr Halliday, who is on holiday with his wife, Lesley, said he learnt his first aid and life saving skills when he served in the Light Infantry and then the Military Police at the MoD plant at Donnington.

P&O said they could not comment because of patient confidentiality.