Mr Claude Marie Janin was born in Mâcon, Saône-et-Loire, France on 9 October 1882.

He was the son of Antoine Nicolas Janin (b. 1851) and Jeanne Cottin (b. circa 1857) but little else is known about his early life.

He had come to England as a young man and appeared on the 1901 census as an unmarried cook aged 18, boarding at 15 Moor Street in Soho. He was married around 1907 to Jeanne Marie Landry (b. 1878), a dressmaker originally from Limoges, Limousin, France. The couple had no children and made their home in London, appearing on the 1911 census living at 55 Sedlescombe Road, Fulham, with Claude being described as a hotel restaurant cook.

When Janin came under the employ of Italian restaurateur Luigi Gatti is not known but he was selected to serve aboard Olympic as soup cook before he was transferred to Titanic for her maiden voyage. He signed on 6 April 1912 and his address was still at that time 55 (56?) Sedlescombe Road.

During the sinking there were reports that the largely continental staff of the restaurant, mainly French, Italian, Swiss, German and Belgian, were herded to their quarters by stewards and kept there. Indeed, only three from the staff survived, two of whom were the female cashiers.

Janin died in the sinking, his body, if recovered, was never identified.

His widow and mother received relief from the Mansion House Titanic Relief Fund as class B dependents.

Titanic Memorial Fund Relief Book (number 3 - 13th December 1929) Case number C-476.
A Certificate of Health from the Consular Service stated that: 'Madame A. Janin, La Mariana, 174 Bis Avenue de la California Nice, A Maritimes, France - "was in excellent health"'.

What became of his widow Jeanne is not known and it is likely, although not certain, that she returned to her native France.