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William Latham.


Taken from the book “Pioners of South West Africa & Ngamiland”
By Edward C. Tabler and published by A.A. Balkema, Cape Town, 1973.

Trader, clerk, fisherman, farmer. He came from England to Walvis Bay in a guano ship via Ichaboe Island circa 1845 and was hired out to Dixon at Sandfontein as bookkeeper and general assistant. Latham later sailed for England, but he met Dixon and his eldest daughter at St. Helena and decided to return to Walvis Bay with them. They sailed on to Ascension Island and then back to Walvis Bay, where Latham married the daughter, Jane (possibly 1852).

The Lathams lived at Walvis Bay in November 1855, and late in that year they helped bury J. Bam[153] at Rooibank and took his widow and children to stay with them at the Bay. The Lathams still lived there in January 1856. Latham and Bassingthwaighte discovered the Matchless Mine. Latham was managing a fishery at Walvis Bay in December 1860, when he was away from home. He and his wife were shipwrecked in the ‘Canute’ near Ichaboe Island during March 1861; they made their way home to the Bay in three different vessels, and J. Chapman gave them a lift to Otjimbingwe in April. Latham, Smuts and Jones were deputed by Andersson in April 1861 to go see Willem Swartbooi at Rehoboth about the theft of Wilson’s cattle.

Mr. and Mrs. Latham returned to Walvis Bay with Kisch on 2 May 1861. Latham’s father-in-law, Dixon, was building a house for Latham at Haigamkab in that month. Later in 1861 Latham went by sea to meet his cattle, which were driven overland to the Cape, but they did not get through. He was robbed of livestock in April 1862, when he still lived at the Bay, and Andersson sent armed Hereros, under Latham’s brother-in-law Dixon, to help him recover his stolen animals.

Latham held aloof from the First Nama-Herero War. In 1863 he and Bassingthwaighte had a place 16 miles from the Matchless Mine on the road to Otjimbingwe; in his absence his wife and partner received J. Chapman and his party there in August 1863. Latham, whose house was burned down by one of the warring bands while he was away, returned home with a cart soon after Chapman’s visit.

Mrs. Latham accompanied J. Chapman, Mr. and Mrs. Bassingthwaighte, Smidt[154] and Hicks[155] from Walvis Bay to Otjimbingwe during September and October 1863. She was at Otjimbingwe in December 1863.

William Latham died in January, 1866.
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.Portion of a Map taken from Thomas Baines’ book “Explorations in South West Africa” published in 1864, showing Latham’s house near Walvis Bay.
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