Edmond Roger Navratil
Master Edmond Roger Navratil, 2, was born on 5 March 1910 in Nice, France.
He boarded the Titanic at Southampton with his father, Michel and brother Michel Jr. The family was travelling under the assumed name of Hoffman, Mr Navratil had stolen his two sons from his estranged wife Marcelle. During the voyage the boys were looked after once by Bertha Lehmann, a Swiss girl who spoke French but no English, while their father played cards for a few hours. It was the only time he let them out of his sight. Edmond and his brother were rescued but their father perished. 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 (304 West 83rd Street) 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. |