Ruth Becker Name: Miss Ruth Elizabeth Becker Marion Louise Becker Richard F. Becker Born

Master Michel Marcel. Navratil, 3, was born on 12 June 1908 in Nice, France. He boarded the Titanic at Southampton with his father Michel and brother Edmond. The family was traveling under the assumed name of Hoffman, Mr. Navratil had stolen his two sons from his estranged wife Marcelle.

He married Marcelle Caretto (died 1974), from Italy, in London, (District of Westminster), on 26 May 1907. They had two sons, Master Michel M. and Edmond Roger (Lolo and Momon), however, by 1912 the business was in trouble and Michel claimed that Marcelle had been having an affair. The couple separated, the boys going with their mother.

They went to stay with their father over the Easter weekend, but when Marcelle came to collect them, they had disappeared. Navratil had decide to take the boys with him to America. After stopping in Monte Carlo, they sailed to England where they stayed at the Charing Cross Hotel, London. He purchased second class tickets (ticket No.230080, £26) and boarded the Titanic at Southampton, the boys being booked on as Loto and Louis. His assumed name of "Louis M. Hoffman" was adopted from his friend Louis Hoffman, who helped him to leave France.

He led his fellow passengers to believe "Mrs. Hoffman" was dead and rarely let the boys out of sight. Once, he allowed himself to relax at a card game and let one of his tablemates, Bertha Lehmann, a Swiss girl who spoke French but no English, to watch the boys for a few hours.
“A magnificent ship!...I remember looking down the length of the hull - the ship looked splendid. My brother and I played on the forward deck and were thrilled to be there. One morning, my father, my brother, and I were eating eggs in the second-class dinning room. The sea was stunning. My feeling was one of total and utter well-being."

He described the events on the night of the sinking:

“My father entered our cabin where we were sleeping. He dressed me very warmly and took me in his arms. A stranger did the same for my brother. When I think of it now, I am very moved. They knew they were going to die."
The boys were taken up to the boat deck where they were put in Collapsible D, the last boat to be launched. Michel, Jr., recalled that just before placing him in the boat, his father gave a final message, "My child, when your mother comes for you, as she surely will, tell her that I loved her dearly and still do. Tell her I expected her to follow us, so that we might all live happily together in the peace and freedom of the New World."

"I don't recall being afraid, I remember the pleasure, really, of going plop! into the life-boat. We ended up next to the daughter of an American banker who managed to save her dog - no one objected. There were vast differences of people's wealth on the ship, and I realized later that if we hadn't been in second-class, we'd of died. The people who came out alive often cheated and were aggressive, the honest didn't stand a chance."

"We had our back to Titanic and went to sleep. The next morning, I saw Carpathia on the horizon. I was hauled aboard in a burlap bag. I thought it was extremely incorrect to be in a burlap bag!"


Aboard the Carpathia, the boys, unable to speak English, were dubbed the Orphans of the Titanic, when they turned out to be the only children who remained unclaimed by an adult. First Class survivor, Miss Margaret Hays agreed to care for the boys at her New York home until family members could be contacted.

Marcelle Navratil, recognized her boys from newspaper stories and was brought over to America by the White Star Line where she was reunited with her sons on May 16. The three sailed back to France on the Oceanic.

Michel went to university where he married a fellow student in 1933, he went on to earn his doctorate, becoming a professor of psychology. In 1987, he returned to the U.S. for the first time since 1912 to mark the 75th anniversary of the sinking. The last living male survivor, Michel lived in Montpellier, near Nice France. On 27 August 1996, Mr. Navratil visited his father's grave for the first time in 84 years.

Michel Navratil died on 30 January 2001 at the age of 92

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Michel Marcel Navratil was born on June 12, 1908 in Nice, France to Michel Navratil, a tailor and Slovakian immigrant to France, and Marcelle Caretto, an Italian, who had married in London. Michel had a younger brother, Edmond Roger Navratil, who was born on March 5, 1910.

The marriage was troubled, and in early 1912, Michel and Marcelle separated. Marcelle was awarded full custody of their two children. Marcelle allowed her sons to stay with their father over the Easter weekend; however, when she went to collect them, they had disappeared. Michel had decided to emigrate to the United States and to take his children with him. After a brief stay in Monte Carlo, the three traveled to England where they boarded the RMS Titanic.

Michel, his brother, and his father boarded the RMS Titanic at Southampton, England on April 10, 1912, as second-class passengers. For the journey, the elder Navratil assumed the alias 'Louis M. Hoffman', and the boys were booked as 'Loto' and 'Louis'. On board the ship, Navratil led passengers to believe that he was a widower. He let his sons out of his sight only once, when he allowed a French-speaking woman, Bertha Lehmann, to watch them for a few hours while he played cards.

After Titanic's collision with an iceberg, at 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912, M. Navratil placed Michel and his brother in Collapsible D, the last lifeboat successfully launched from the ship. Michel, although not quite four years old at the time, later claimed to remember his father telling him: "My child, when your mother comes for you, as she surely will, tell her that I loved her dearly and still do. Tell her I expected her to follow us, so that we might all live happily together in the peace and freedom of the New World." The elder Navratil died during the sinking, and his body was recovered by the rescue ship, CS Mackay-Bennett. In his pocket was a revolver. Because of his assumed Jewish surname, Mr. Navratil was buried in Baron de Hirsch Cemetery, a Jewish cemetery, in Nova Scotia.

While in Collapsible D, Michel was fed biscuits by first-class passenger Hugh Woolner. When the rescue ship RMS Carpathia arrived at the scene, Michel and his brother were hoisted to its deck in burlap sacks. Since the two children were toddlers and spoke no English, they could not identify themselves and were soon referred to as the Titanic Orphans. French-speaking first-class passenger Margaret Hays cared for the boys at her home until their mother could be located, which occurred as a result of newspaper articles including their pictures. Marcelle sailed to New York City, New York and was reunited with her sons on May 16, 1912. She took her children back to France aboard the RMS Oceanic.


Michel attended college and in 1933 married a fellow student. He went on to earn a doctorate and became a professor of philosophy. Throughout his life, Michel maintained that his brush with death at such a young age, coupled with the loss of his father, strongly influenced his thought processes.

n 1987, Michel traveled to Wilmington, Delaware to mark the 75th anniversary of the sinking. It was his first visit to the United States since 1912. The following year, Michel joined ten fellow survivors at a Titanic Historical Society convention in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1996, Michel joined fellow survivors Eleanor Shuman and Edith Haisman on a cruise to the location of the wreck, where attempts were made to bring a large portion of the ship's hull to the surface. Before his return to France, Michel traveled to Nova Scotia to see the grave of his father for the first time.

Michel lived the remainder of his life in Montpellier, France. He died on January 30, 2001, at the age of 92.

• 
  Michel's brother, Edmond, worked as interior decorator and then became an architect and builder. He joined the French Army during World War II and became a prisoner-of-war. Although he escaped, his health had deteriorated, and he died in 1953 at the age of 43.
  
• 
  Michel's daughter, Élisabeth, an opera director, wrote a book, Les enfants du Titanic (literally "The Children of the Titanic"; called Survivors in English) about the experiences of her father, grandfather, and uncle.
  

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In 1910, Winnifred's father decided to emigrate from England to Detroit to make a better life for his family. He traveled alone, and would later send for his wife and daughters when he was financially secure. In the meantime, the Quicks would live with Jane Quick's mother in Plymouth. By early 1912, Frederick was established and secure and sent for his family. Soon after his wife booked passage for herself and their two daughters, she was notified that her ship's sailing had been cancelled due to a coal strike, but that they would be transferred to the RMS Titanic which was set to sail on April 10, 1912.[1]

Eight-year-old Winnifred, along with her mother and sister, boarded the Titanic as second-class passengers at Southampton, England. On April 14, Winnifred and her family went to bed shortly after 9 p.m. Neither Winnifred, her mother, or sister, felt the ship's collision with the iceberg at 11:40 p.m. It was only after a passenger knocked on their cabin door telling them there had been an accident, did the Quick family realize something was wrong. Not thinking the ship was seriously damaged, Jane took her time getting dressed. A steward peeked his head inside the cabin and seeing how slow Jane was getting ready, demanded the family get their lifebelts on as the ship had struck an iceberg and was sinking. [3] Winnifred and her sister were awakened and dressed, and along with their mother, walked up five flights of stairs to A-Deck. On deck, an unknown gentleman helped calm Winnifred who was crying hysterically, and fasted Phyllis with a lifebelt. Jane put Winnifred and Phyllis in Lifeboat No. 11, but she was initially denied entry herself when the man in charge uttered, 'only room for the children'. Jane reportedly told him, 'either we go together or we stay together'. He finally let her join her children; she was the last one allowed in the lifeboat, which according to Jane, held roughly 50 people. Even in the lifeboat, Winnifred continued to cry until someone noticed her shoes had fallen off and her feet were sitting in the freezing water.[4]

Winnifred finally fell asleep but was awoken when people around her cheered as the rescue ship RMS Carpathia became visible. Winnifred and Phyllis were put in a sack and pulled to RMS Carpathia's deck. Winnifred later recalled seeing many survivors weeping and even observed burial at sea for several passengers who had died in the lifeboats.[5] Winnifred's father heard the news of Titanic's sinking, but received a wireless message that his wife and daughters were safe. He was at the dock in New York on April 18, when the RMS Carpathia arrived. The Quicks spent the night as guests of the Hebrew Sheltering and Immigrant Aid Society. The following morning, the Quicks left New York City on the New York Express and arrived in Detroit on April 20.[6]

Winnifred's mother died in 1965, aged 84, and her sister, Phyllis, died in 1954.

In 1966, her husband retired and the two travelled throughout the USA, reportedly visiting every state except Hawaii. When asked if she would ever make a return trip back to England, she replied "No! I don't like big boats! I like to go in the water up to my neck but not on top of the water over my head!" [7] Although Winnifred didn't mind talking about her experiences on the Titanic, she never attended any organized gatherings of Titanic survivors.[8]

Winnifred Van Tongerloo died on July 4, 2002 in East Lansing, Michigan, aged 98. She was one of the last five remaining survivors, the last survivor who did not lose a relative in the sinking, and was preceded in death by her husband, and two of her children.


William Richards Sibley George Richards
Name: Master William Rowe Richards Master Sibley George Richards

Born: Thursday 1st April 1909 Saturday 17th June 1911
Age: 3 years 9 months and 29 days
Last Residence: in Penzance Cornwall England
2nd Class passenger
First Embarked: Southampton on Wednesday 10th April 1912
Ticket No. 29106 , £18 15s
Destination: Akron Ohio United States
Rescued (boat 4)
Disembarked Carpathia: New York City on Thursday 18th April 1912
Died: Saturday 9th January 1988 Friday 4th December 1987

When the Titanic sank William Rowe Richards was aged 3 years. His last residence was in Penzance Cornwall England. He boarded the Titanic as a 2nd Class passenger at Southampton on Wednesday April 10, 1912, Ticket No. 29106. Destination: Akron, Ohio.

William Rowe Richards survived the sinking (lifeboat 4) and was picked up by the Carpathia disembarking at New York City on Thursday April 18, 1912.

He died January 9, 1988 from heart failure brought on by heart disease.

His mother, Mrs. Sidney Richards (Emily Hocking), 24, was born in Penzance, Cornwall, the daughter of confectioner and baker, William Rowe Hocking and wife Mrs Eliza Needs Hocking. She lived with her family at 38 Adelaide Street, Penzance.

Emily married Mr James Sibley Richards and moved to 'The Meadow', Newlyn. They had two sons, William Rowe Richards (named after his maternal grandfather) and George Sibley Richards and a daughter, Emily. Her husband subsequently emigrated to Akron, Ohio and she planned to join him there.

She boarded the Titanic at Southampton as a second class passenger with her two young sons under ticket number 29106, having been transeferred from the Oceanic. She traveled with her mother, Mrs Elizabeth Hocking, her brother George Hocking and sister Nellie Hocking.

Emily Richards and Addie Wells had strolled the deck of the Titanic the night of the 14th, noticing how cold it was. She had just put her children to bed and was about to go to bed herself when the Titanic collided with an iceberg.

After the collision, her mother rushed into her room and shook her. Mrs Hocking said "There is surely danger, something has gone wrong." Mrs Richards and her other family members put on their slippers and outside coats and dressed the children and then went up on deck in their nightgowns. As they went up the stairs a crewmember called out that "Everyone put on life preservers." Mrs Richards returned to her cabin, as family members reassured themselves that nothing was the matter. They returned to deck and were told to pass through the dining room to a rope ladder placed against the side of the cabin that led to an upper deck. Mrs Richards, her two sons, her mother, and her sister were pushed through a window into lifeboat 4. They were told to sit in the bottom of the boat. Some of the women tried to stand after the boat pulled away, however the crewmen pushed them with their feet back into a seated position. The boat was only a short distance away from the Titanic went it went down. The people in the boat pulled seven men out of the water.

The Richards and Hockings hoped that George Hocking had been rescued by another ship, but this had not happened. After leaving the Carpathia, the Richards stayed at Blake's Star Hotel at 57 Clarkson's Street in New York City and she was reunited with her husband Sibley ("Sib") Richards who had travelled from Akron.

Her name is Lilli Silven, and her aunt and uncle who were lost were William and Anna Lahtinen. They were 2nd class passengers from Finland.

Party on Titanic night before. People drunk from party. Clearest memory of night before was a woman (young) in a black dress who came in one door and danced alone and left again, presumable [sic] from party, which Lila didn't attend. Felt boat jerk when it hit iceberg. Just ready to go to bed. In own bed when hit (She contradicts herself) Was in bed & hit head. Jumped up and looked out window & saw ice. At first was thrilled because she thought it was snow. Heard people start yelling and getting up. Looked for uncle & aunt & couldn't find. Ran back & forth down the big hallways & it took her quite a while to find them. Uncle & aunt not excited. Christian,-nothingto [sic] worry about. Knew they "were going to go" down. Lila was running around (I guess before she found U & A) holding life preserver. A barber talked kindly (in English, which she didn't understand) to her and put her life preserver on her. Her uncle told her to get on the life boat. Lila said, " I don't want to leave you. I don't want to be left alone". Uncle said, "No. You go." Didn't want to get on boat but uncle told to because parents living. . He had a large cigar in his mouth. Uncle with help put Lila in boat. Uncle & aunt didn't even try for the boat. (Women& children first). Wanted to die together. Didn't want to leave each other. If ther [sic] was any hope anyone could be saved, Lila should get in boat. Had maybe one or two sailors in boat. Rowed like crazy to get away from Titanic before it sucked them under. Could see U & A standing on Titanic. Still had cigar in mouth. Could still see as boat sank.

Remember the ice on deck of Titanic & everyone scared terrible. Boat stopped and started to rock. Went forward a bit & stopped again. Tilted. Uncle & sailors put in lifeboat. Lila fought to stay. Didn't know what to do. Saw uncle standing with wife & cigar. Astors wife only one in boat. "Rich people." she said. "Listen, 60 years ago I was there. Big waves all night. So cold. Calm in morning. People screaming worst part of boat. Didn't know where going. Ice cold & wet. People swimming and screaming."

Remember band playing "Nearer my got to thee" as boat sank. Didn't like music they played in New York when Carpathia landed. "Too sad." Played "Nearer my God to Thee" & she couldn't remember where she had heard it before.

They were originally booked on the New York, but because of the coal strike were transferred to the Titanic.

Aboard the ship Bertha befriended an English girl, Marjorie Collyer. They were rescued in lifeboat 9.

Twelve years old at the time, her most vivid memory was that she was roused from her sleep, and told to say her prayers because the Titanic was in trouble. She wrote about the experience as a student in 1917 for the Jefferson High School newspaper in which she claimed

"we heard many pistol shots, and could see people running hopelessly up and down the decks. Some in the lifeboat were crying. One or two were hysterical. There was nothing anyone could do. We just kept on going. We didn't row much, just enough to get far enough away from the suction. Then we puttered. We had just to drift around until dawn, occasionally flicking a gentleman's cigar lighter to let the other boats see where we were. The fellow at the tiller was an Irishman. Paddy had no authority, he was just a deckhand. He was wonderful, telling me about the stars. It was calm. I don't remember sloping around in the boat. There was nothing on the lifeboat but a keg of biscuits. No water, no liquor, no light. I don't know if the first class lifeboats had all the things they needed, but if anyone was sick or collapsed in our boat, there was nothing to revive them with. It showed the disorganization. We didn't find the rudder [sic] until we were out quite away. I had a nightie tucked into a pair of panties, and house slippers. Luckily, I had a fur lined coat. They lined them with squirrel bellies in those days, and it had a fur collar. They asked if anyone could row, and mother said she could. That's how she spent the time. Rowing or standing. A minister appeared out from under a seat. He must have gotten in before the the lifeboat even left the deck. He sat with his chin on his walking stick moaning on about all the years of sermons he lost. One woman all but turned and flew at him - "if you can give me back my husband and my son I'll pay you for your sermons." We didn't get aboard Carpathia until about 9 a.m. There was a rope ladder with a belt. My mother said, "go on, you can climb that. I went up without the belt." The captain roared down, "don't let anyone come up without a belt on."
She also recalled the sinking in an interview with the Vancouver Province, in which she spoke of her mother reassuring her that if this were a nice night on Loch Ness you'd just be out for a row, and telling her, "don't worry honey, you weren't born to be drowned, you were born to be hanged."

In 1923 Bertha Watt married a Vancouver doctor, Leslie Marshall, and moved to British Columbia, where she became a Canadian citizen. She and her husband had two sons, James and Robert.