Hi... I guess you are not dong the blogging thing anymore since the last time is se was 2007.. but would love to know what inspired you to take the name of Latham... Guess you must have read John Heminway's book:) I got this wonderful story as I once owned a lodge in Southern Tanzania and visited Msimbati the ruins:).... I was very fascinated by this story as we both share the illegitimate part in our ancestors... I believe there have been quite a few of those...
If yo give me your email address I will forward you photos of his "mansion in the bush"
Hi gaby thanks for the message, just came across your comment. Latham has been my fascination for over 25 years and I've been to msimbati many times (I started ten degrees south in mikindani) send me an email to paul@paulnorrish.co.uk would love to hear more. Cheers
I am doing research on the Sportsman's Arms Hotel in Nanyuki, Kenya. I believe that is where Moore died. Do you have any information you can share about his time at the Sportsman's arms? Any help is much appreciated!
Hi Denisel, not much more I cam share, I went there a couple of years ago and the people working there knew the story, I got someone to take me the grave yard but couldn't find the grave. I have a lot of background information on him built up over the years, contact me at paul@paulnorrish.co.uk cheers
My father and uncle - John and Douglas Dryden respectively - purchased German freehold acreage on Msimbati in 1958. We lived in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia and flew up to Mtwara by light aircraft and then drove down to Msimbati twice a year to holilday. We got to know Latham extremely well. In 1963 Nyerere nationalised rural land in the new Tanzania. We put up a substantial fuss and were P.I.'d for our troubles. Latham came down to Salisbury after he left Msimbati in the mid 60's and we saw much of him there before he eventually returned to England where he died. I have fabulous b/w family videos of waterskiing, snorkelling, our house on the island and a visit we paid to Latham. Wonderful treasure that he was.
Alan great to hear from you. that's an amazing story. I remember from the film I have seen that Latham went to Salisbury after leaving the island and amazing you knew him. Where are you based? would love to see the films, I have collected as much as I can about him the house. let me know, perhaps we can chat by phone? all the best Paul
Latham had 'relationships' with several of his female African staff on the island. His voice was sonorous and melodically powerful. His English was impeccable. We referred to him as 'The Old Man and The Sea' which harked back to Hemingway's epic Nobel Literature prize winning novel. Very interesting that it was a John Heminway (different spelling) who later chronicled much of Latham's time on the island. After departing Msimbati, Latham fell in love with a Rhodesian lass and spent quite a few years in Salisbury and visited with us often in the late 60's. The relationship eventually disintegrated which was when he departed for the UK and subsequently Kenya. He drank pink gins by the gallon. His Msimbati house was incredible. Built of coral cubes extracted from the reef. Thick walls. Cool in summer and retained heat superbly in winter. Gabriel - a Tanganyaikan of Federation (Nyasaland now Malawi) extraction, worked for us when we were on the Msimbati and for Latham the rest of the time. Gabriel baked the most incredible bread and scaled coconut palms to retrieve nuts. Marvellous, languid and entirely trustworthy man. We kept a motorboat at Msimbati and also a beautiful Arab dhow though we cheated on tractive power and had a 15 horse motor rather than relying on sails. We flew the family in to Mtwara and then went down to Msimbati either by boat or by Landrover along the beach at low tide. My uncle Douglas mentioed a couple of years back that he still had our original German title deeds for our Msimbati acreage. He's died now and I will ask my cousin Mike if he can rustle them up for a look see. Email me at alan.dryden@icloud.com with a phone number. We are 100kms North of Brisbane on the Sunshine Coast.
I was fortunate enough to spend nearly 3 months at Msimbati in the summer of 1994 as an 18 year old fresh out of high school from Kansas. Peter Jones is my cousin and was the steward of the island at that time. I too knew of Moore's legacy and was able to see the rebuilding of the house ruins. I think often of the people I met there and the experiences I had. The water was crystal clear and the people wonderful. Hopefully it looks the same now.
12 comments:
Hi... I guess you are not dong the blogging thing anymore since the last time is se was 2007..
but would love to know what inspired you to take the name of Latham...
Guess you must have read John Heminway's book:)
I got this wonderful story as I once owned a lodge in Southern Tanzania and visited Msimbati the ruins:)....
I was very fascinated by this story as we both share the illegitimate part in our ancestors... I believe there have been quite a few of those...
If yo give me your email address I will forward you photos of his "mansion in the bush"
warm regards
Gaby ( in South Africa)
Hi gaby thanks for the message, just came across your comment. Latham has been my fascination for over 25 years and I've been to msimbati many times (I started ten degrees south in mikindani) send me an email to paul@paulnorrish.co.uk would love to hear more. Cheers
I'm also very familiar wit the story and visited many times in the 90's do tell more.
Please see my blog... Do tell more
Met with Latham several times at Msimbati in 1966.
I am doing research on the Sportsman's Arms Hotel in Nanyuki, Kenya. I believe that is where Moore died. Do you have any information you can share about his time at the Sportsman's arms? Any help is much appreciated!
Hi Denisel, not much more I cam share, I went there a couple of years ago and the people working there knew the story, I got someone to take me the grave yard but couldn't find the grave. I have a lot of background information on him built up over the years, contact me at paul@paulnorrish.co.uk
cheers
hi Peter nicolas, you met him??? would love to know more, time to chat?
My father and uncle - John and Douglas Dryden respectively - purchased German freehold acreage on Msimbati in 1958. We lived in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia and flew up to Mtwara by light aircraft and then drove down to Msimbati twice a year to holilday. We got to know Latham extremely well. In 1963 Nyerere nationalised rural land in the new Tanzania. We put up a substantial fuss and were P.I.'d for our troubles. Latham came down to Salisbury after he left Msimbati in the mid 60's and we saw much of him there before he eventually returned to England where he died. I have fabulous b/w family videos of waterskiing, snorkelling, our house on the island and a visit we paid to Latham. Wonderful treasure that he was.
Alan
great to hear from you. that's an amazing story. I remember from the film I have seen that Latham went to Salisbury after leaving the island and amazing you knew him. Where are you based? would love to see the films, I have collected as much as I can about him the house.
let me know, perhaps we can chat by phone?
all the best
Paul
Latham had 'relationships' with several of his female African staff on the island. His voice was sonorous and melodically powerful. His English was impeccable. We referred to him as 'The Old Man and The Sea' which harked back to Hemingway's epic Nobel Literature prize winning novel. Very interesting that it was a John Heminway (different spelling) who later chronicled much of Latham's time on the island. After departing Msimbati, Latham fell in love with a Rhodesian lass and spent quite a few years in Salisbury and visited with us often in the late 60's. The relationship eventually disintegrated which was when he departed for the UK and subsequently Kenya. He drank pink gins by the gallon. His Msimbati house was incredible. Built of coral cubes extracted from the reef. Thick walls. Cool in summer and retained heat superbly in winter. Gabriel - a Tanganyaikan of Federation (Nyasaland now Malawi) extraction, worked for us when we were on the Msimbati and for Latham the rest of the time. Gabriel baked the most incredible bread and scaled coconut palms to retrieve nuts. Marvellous, languid and entirely trustworthy man. We kept a motorboat at Msimbati and also a beautiful Arab dhow though we cheated on tractive power and had a 15 horse motor rather than relying on sails. We flew the family in to Mtwara and then went down to Msimbati either by boat or by Landrover along the beach at low tide. My uncle Douglas mentioed a couple of years back that he still had our original German title deeds for our Msimbati acreage. He's died now and I will ask my cousin Mike if he can rustle them up for a look see. Email me at alan.dryden@icloud.com with a phone number. We are 100kms North of Brisbane on the Sunshine Coast.
I was fortunate enough to spend nearly 3 months at Msimbati in the summer of 1994 as an 18 year old fresh out of high school from Kansas. Peter Jones is my cousin and was the steward of the island at that time. I too knew of Moore's legacy and was able to see the rebuilding of the house ruins. I think often of the people I met there and the experiences I had. The water was crystal clear and the people wonderful. Hopefully it looks the same now.
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