Patrick Joseph Lattin was born on 24 September 1915 at Fingal, Tasmania, to Joseph Charles and Emma Lattin. Patrick had four older siblings: Stella, Monica, Aidan, and James.

On 20 October 1939, Lattin enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force as a private. He was assigned the service number TX50 and attached to the 2/12th Australian Infantry Battalion as an intelligence specialist. With his battalion, Lattin participated in the defence of Tobruk in early 1941. However, he was captured as a prisoner of war by the Germans on 16 May 1941. He spent several years in Axis prisoner of war camps, including Grupignano camp near Udine, Italy, and Stalag VIIIA at Gorlitz, Germany. In early 1945, Lattin, along with other inmates of Stalag VIIIA, were forced to march westward for three or four months as the Russians advanced from the east. During this march, they faced bitter cold, starvation, and illness. Their liberation was confirmed around April 1945 when the march was met by American forces.

Patrick Joseph Lattin returned home, settled in Canberra, and worked in forestry by 1946. By 1954, he had become a manager and married Dorothy Gwenneth (née Ray). They had two daughters. Lattin was the Australian Capital Territory deputy chief fire control officer for many years, and was also involved in the local Returned Services League. He died on 25 July 1993, at the age of 77.