4 minute read
What's in a Name?
BY ROB JOHNSON
One hundred and twenty-five years ago, on the morning of March 1st, 1900, James Dunsmuir, the founder of Ladysmith, left Victoria to go to the instant community he was building at Oyster Harbour. This community was to house the employees of his mine in Extension 12, miles away. When he arrived to observe the progress of the community, little did he know that later that day, he would receive news that would leave a mark on the Island’s history and the world.
Dunsmuir, soon to become premier of BC, was proud of the community he built for his miners and confident of the future economic growth. This new community would have broad streets; lots were allocated to construct the four major churches of the day. In addition, there were building lots for the construction of public schools.
This new community would have a “Market Square.” The Market Square would be the town centre, surrounded by all the local shops the townspeople would need. It was to be very modern and have everything a town would want. But it didn’t have a name.
That was about to change that day. While surveying plans for this new community, word came that Commonwealth troops fighting in the Boer War had finally broken the siege of the City of Ladysmith in South Africa. This was a historic event and was celebrated throughout the Empire. The relief of Ladysmith freed the thousands of residents and over 10,000 British Troops that had been besieged for 118 days. During this period, the Populus suffered constant shelling by the enemy. They were starving from lack of food, and the water supply was contaminated. Hundreds died as a result of the siege. So, when General Buller and his troops entered the city of Ladysmith on February 27th, the British Empire rejoiced that the approximate 15,000 were finally free of the imprisonment that the siege had caused them.
It was this news that James Dunsmuir, a strong supporter of the Empire, heard while at his community on Oyster Bay that March day. He almost immediately decided to name this new community “Ladysmith” in honour of the relief of that war-torn community on the other side of the world. To further recognize this historic event, he named the streets of the community after many British generals who were participating in the war. White Street is named after General White, who, along with his troops, was trapped for 118 days in Ladysmith. General Buller (Buller Street), who led the campaign to relieve Ladysmith, is also one of our major streets. (To learn more about the street names, check out the town’s archives.)
This is why, 125 years ago, the place we call home was so named. A note of irony is that as of May 2024, the City of Ladysmith KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, where 90 per cent of the population speaks the Zulu language, changed its name from Ladysmith to uMnambithi, which in Zulu means “God stands with us.”
This change goes back to the name of the area that the Boers purchased from the Zulu king back in 1847. The site was annexed by the British the same year, and they proclaimed the township “Windsor.” Three years later, in 1850, the town was renamed Ladysmith in honour of Lady Smith, the Spanish wife of Sir Harry Smith, who was a war hero and was at that time the governor of the Cape. (You can learn more about Sir Harry and Lady Smith in the town’s archives.)
On March 1, 2025 take a moment to consider how the town got its name, and all the people, and events directly or indirectly associated with it. So, what’s in a name? As I see it, it says a lot more than you think.
