Obituary – Peter Latham OBE FIMMM

A tribute to Peter Latham OBE FIMMM, whose service was instrumental in the evolution of the IWSc and its merger with the IOM3.

Peter Latham, who recently passed away, was a strong and stalwart supporter of the Institute of Wood Science (IWSc) and was instrumental in the subsequent merger with the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3).

Peter served on the Council of the Institute of Wood Science (IWSc) from 1988, was elected as Vice President in 1991, prior to being elected President for a two-year period of office, 1996-1998. From 2000, Peter was Honorary Treasurer up to the time of the merger with IOM3. As a consequence, Peter was very instrumental in the 2009 merger with IOM3, after which he relinquished his role within the Institute.

Martin Ansell in the photograph and immediate Past President, passing over the President’s Medal of Office to Peter) recalls the following: 

'When he took over in 1996, Peter proved to be a tremendously capable and unflappable President. In 1998, the IWSC conference was held in Dublin, and a field trip by coach included a visit to what was then Medite Europe Ltd, now Medite SmartPly (Coillte) at Clonmel. The coach developed an intermittent fault which was eventually solved by wedging a piece of wood (of course!) against a slipping cable. Peter was due to host an evening reception for the conference in Dublin and was able to maintain a calm demeanour as the time slipped away due to numerous breakdowns. We managed to reach the reception just in time, and Peter, wearing day clothes instead of evening wear, delivered a speech with great aplomb to the delegates.'

In 2004, Peter was elected Fellow of the IWSc, which was later converted to Fellow of IOM3 (FIMMM), and in 2016 he was awarded the prestigious IOM3 T. B. Marsden Professional Medal for service to the Institute.

Peter became a member of the IWSc in 1975, meaning that he accrued an over fifty-year membership of IWSc and later the IOM3 Wood Technology Group. Throughout his tenure with IWSc, and indeed throughout his career, he was very passionate about training and education.  This was exemplified in his roles as past Chair of the TRADA training and Education committee and external examiner for the Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College Forest Products Technology Degree course, and sustainable forest management as Chair of the TTF Forests Forever Committee and PEFC UK.

Peter worked in the timber industry since 1973, later as Chair of timber distributor James Latham PLC from 2006 to 2017.

Among his many appointments, he was also a Forestry Commissioner, Chair of PEFC International, a director of the Association Technique Internationale des Bois Tropicaux (ATIBT), and a Trustee of the Commonwealth Forestry Association.

He was awarded an OBE for services to the Wood Industry in 2012 and received a lifetime achievement award from the Timber Trades Journal in 2018.

Jim Coulson (Past President of the IWSc) said: 'I have known Peter for many years. I always found him to be polite, charming, and good-humoured, with never a harsh word for anyone or anything. He was a true Gentleman, in the proper, old-fashioned sense of that word.'

Geoff Rhodes (Past President of TTF and IWSc Member since 1972) said: “Peter was a highly respected member of the international Timber Trade, whom I have respected in all my years in this industry. He bought his calm approach, deep knowledge, and experienced counsel to everything that he did and will be truly missed.'

Peter made tremendous contributions to the timber trade but also had a deep knowledge of wood science and timber technology in construction.