Michel Navratil (August 13th, 1880 - April 15th, 1912) was a Second Class passenger on the RMS Titanic. He died in the sinking.
Early Life[]
Michel was born in Sered, Kingdom of Hungary, present day Slovakia, on August 13th, 1880. He later moved to France, and finally settled, in 1902, in Nice. He married Italian-born Marcelle Caretto on May 26th, 1907, and their two sons were born in Nice: Michel Marcel Navratil (born June 12th, 1908) and Edmond Roger Navratil (born March 5th, 1910). They separated in early 1912. Some factors which may have led to the separation include his failed attempt to open a tailor shop, and an alleged extramarital affair on her part. She was given custody of the boys in the separation.
Aboard the Titanic[]
Michel was granted visitation rights with Michel Jr. and Edmond during Easter break in 1912, but failed to return them to Marcelle at the designated time. Michel and his sons escaped France via Monte Carlo, and sailed to England, where they stayed at the Charing Cross Hotel in London for a period of time. Michel purchased three second class tickets for the RMS Titanic, boarding under the assumed name of Louis M. Hoffman with his two sons, Michel Jr. (or Lolo, a diminutive of Louis) and Momon (a diminutive of Edmond). He told other passengers that he was a widower, and that he was taking the boys to America. He rarely let them out of his sight, but at one point during the voyage, he allowed a Swiss girl, Bertha Lehmann, to watch them while he played a card game.
On the night of the sinking, Michel, helped by another passenger, dressed his sons and took them to the boat deck. "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," Michel Jr. recalled.[1] Contemporary witness reports said that Michel Jr. was wearing just a flannel shirt, Edmond had no clothes on, and both were wrapped in blankets.[2] They were put into Collapsible D, the last lifeboat successfully launched from the ship. Michel perished in the sinking.
Michel's was the fifteenth recovered by the Mackay-Bennett.
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NO. 15. - MALE. - ESTIMATED AGE. 30. - HAIR & MOUSTACHE BLACK. CLOTHING - Grey overcoat with green lining; brown suit. EFFECTS - Pocket book; 1 gold watch and chain; silver sov. Purse containing £6;receipt from Thos. Cook & Co. for notes exchanged; ticket; pipe in case; revolver (loaded); coins; keys; etc.; bill for Charing Cross Hotel (Room 126, April, 1912). SECOND CLASS. NAME - LOUIS M. HOFFMAN. |
Among the possessions on his person was a loaded revolver. Because he had used a Jewish surname on his ticket, on May 15, 1912, his body was interred in the Baron de Hirsch Cemetery in Halifax.
A book, "Les Enfants du Titanic," was written in 1982 by Élisabeth Navratil, Michel's granddaughter, telling the story of him and his two sons, and of their unfortunate adventures on the Titanic.
Portrayals[]
S.O.S. Titanic (1979)[]
Michel Navratil is portrayed by actor André Maranne in S.O.S Titanic (1979). During the sinking, he took Michel Jr and Edmond to a lifeboat, but wasn't allowed to join them. He didn't survive.
Notes[]
- ↑ Master Michel Marcel Navratil - Titanic Biography - Encyclopedia Titanica at www.encyclopedia-titanica.org
- ↑ Votruba, Martin. "Michal Navrátil". Slovak Studies Program. University of Pittsburgh. http://www.pitt.edu/~votruba/qsonhist/titanicslovakvictimmichelnavratil.html.