Tragic love story of only Black man aboard the Titanic who died saving family

10 September 2023 , 07:00

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Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche went down with the ship

When most people think of love stories connected to the Titanic it's obviously the fictional Jack and Rose that come to mind but sometimes fact is stranger than fiction and the forgotten story of the only Black man on that doomed ship could break even more hearts.

Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche, a Haitian native, ended up on the RMS Titanic thanks to a cruel twist of fate. He, his wife and his two daughters were originally going to sail to Haiti on a ship called La France. But due to the ship's policy of separating parents and children, they chose a different ship so they could stay with their daughters, one of whom often fell sick.

So instead they swapped their first-class tickets on that first ship for second-class tickets on RMS Titanic.

Joseph was born in 1886 in Haiti, a former French colony, and at the age of 15 he went to France to study engineering. After getting his degree he married Juliette Lafargue, a white French woman, who he met through a mentor. They started building a family but struggled due to the rampant racism at the time which meant he often had difficulty finding work and when he did would get far less pay than deserved for a man of his education.

Joseph with his wife and daughters

Left unable to support his growing family (by now he had two daughters), he instead decided to go back to his native Haiti, where his well connected uncle, President Cincinnatus Leconte, promised him a professorship in maths.

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And so they found themselves on the Titanic. From New York, the doomed ship's destination, they hoped to take another ship to Haiti. But in the early hours of April 15 1912, disaster struck. The ship that 'god himself couldn't sink' hit an iceberg which left a massive gash below the waterline along one side.

The Titanic leaves Southampton, England, on her maiden voyage (AP)

The speed at which it sank shocked the world but Juliette and one of her daughters, Simonne, managed to get onto a lifeboat. Joseph rushed to make sure his other daughter was put onto the same lifeboat as her other family members.

Once his wife and daughters were safely aboard, Joseph promised his wife they would see each other soon. He wrapped a coat around his wife, and his last words to her were: “Here, take this, you are going to need it. I’ll get another boat. God be with you. I’ll see you in New York.” It was the last time they ever saw him.

His body was never recovered. The 25-year-old was one of the 1,496 people who died in the disaster.

The rusting remains of the sunken ship (Getty Images)

The newly widowed Juliette was rescued with her two young daughters by the RMS Carpathia which dropped them off at New York. She spoke no English, all their money had gone down with the ship and she was pregnant with her dead husband's child.

After three torturous weeks she began her journey back to France. Months later she gave birth to her son who she named Joseph after her lost husband.

She never got over the tragedy. She rarely told the story of her survival and told her children to not speak of the Titanic sinking or their dead dad.

Their daughter Louise Laroche (2 July 1910 – 28 January 1998) was one of the last remaining survivors of Titanic.

Charlie Jones