Clive Wigram, 1st Baron Wigram, (5 July 1873 – 3 September 1960) was a British Indian Army officer and courtier. He was Private Secretary to the Sovereign from 1931 to 1936.

Parentage and education

Wigram was the son of Herbert Wigram. His grandfather the Reverend William Pitt Wigram was the ninth and youngest son of Sir Robert Wigram, 1st Baronet, who was a prominent merchant. Clive was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of ...

, of which he later became a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

. After Winchester, he attended the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.

Military career

After passing out from the Royal Military Academy in 1893, Wigram was commissioned a second lieutenant on 4 October. Wigram served in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

between 1893 and 1897 and in the British Indian Army from 1897. He was promoted to lieutenant on 22 September 1897 (with rank from 4 October 1896). Wigram joined the 18th (King George's Own) Bengal Lancers, and served on the Tirah Expedition in the North West Frontier from 1897 to 1898. From 1899 to 1904 he was Aide-de-Camp to the

Viceroy of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...

Lord Curzon George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), styled Lord Curzon of Kedleston between 1898 and 1911 and then Earl Curzon of Kedleston between 1911 and 1921, was a British Conservative statesman ...

, an office he had already filled in 1895 (under the Earl of Elgin). He resigned (temporary) in January 1900 to serve with Kitchener's Horse in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

, for which he was mentioned in despatches. He was promoted to captain on 4 October 1902.

Court positions

Between 1905 and 1906 Wigram served as Assistant Chief of Staff to the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

in India. On 19 March 1906, he was promoted to the brevet rank of major and was appointed Equerry to the Prince of Wales, an office he held until the Prince became King in 1910. Promoted to the substantive rank of major on 4 October 1911, while in India he played

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officia ...

for the Europeans club. Wigram then served as Assistant Private Secretary and Equerry to the King from 1910 to 1931. He was promoted to the brevet rank of lieutenant colonel on 3 June 1915. In 1915 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and later to brevet

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

. In 1919 he was promoted to colonel. In 1931 Wigram was promoted to Private Secretary to the Sovereign and held office until he retired in 1936. He also served as Keeper of the Archives from 1931 to 1945, as an Extra Equerry from 1931 until his death, as a Permanent

Lord in Waiting Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are peers who hold office in the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (withou ...

from 1936 to 1960 and Deputy Constable of

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original c ...

from 1936 to 1945. Apart from his careers in the Army and at court he was also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and of the

Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained the London Zoo, and since 1931 Whipsnade Park. History On 29 ...

, President of

Westminster Hospital Westminster Hospital was a hospital in London, England, founded in 1719. In 1834 a medical school attached to the hospital was formally founded. In 1939 a newly built hospital and medical school opened in Horseferry Road, Westminster. In 1994 the ...

and Governor of

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin * Wellington College, Wellington, Ne ...

and Haileybury. He was the first president of the Gloucestershire

Boy Scouts Boy Scouts may refer to: * Boy Scout, a participant in the Boy Scout Movement. * Scouting, also known as the Boy Scout Movement. * An organisation in the Scouting Movement, although many of these organizations also have female members. There are ...

Wigram was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath 1918, a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...

in 1931 and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in 1933. He also became a

Member of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

in 1903, a

Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

in 1915, a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order 1928 and a

Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

in 1932 and made a

Companion of the Order of the Star of India The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointments ...

in 1911. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1932 and in 1935 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Wigram, of Clewer in the County of Berkshire. He was further honoured in 1937 when he received the Royal Victorian Chain. He also received the

Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal The Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal is a civil decoration awarded by the British monarch to servants of the royal household for long and faithful service. History The Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal was establis ...

with 30 year service bar for His service to the Royal Family.

Family

Lord Wigram married Nora Mary, the daughter of Sir Neville Francis Fitzgerald Chamberlain, in 1912. She died in 1956. He survived her by four years until he died in 1960 aged 87. The couple had three children: *Anne Wigram (1913–1958). She married and had three sons. * (George) Neville Clive Wigram, 2nd Baron Wigram (1915–2017) who succeeded to his father's barony. *The Hon. Francis Clive Wigram (1920–1943). He was a captain in the 6th Bn.

Grenadier Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

, as which he was killed on 12 September 1943 during the Allied invasion of Salerno in Italy during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. He is buried at Salerno War Cemetery. He was educated at

, like his father and brother, and his name is on the school's War Cloister.

References

External links

CricketArchive profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wigram, Clive Wigram, 1st Baron 1873 births 1960 deaths Royal Artillery officers British Indian Army officers British military personnel of the Tirah campaign British military personnel of the Second Boer War Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Companions of the Order of the Star of India Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Fellows of the Zoological Society of London People educated at Winchester College Permanent Lords-in-Waiting Europeans cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Private Secretaries to the Sovereign Assistant Private Secretaries to the Sovereign Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Indian Army personnel of World War I English cricketers A. J. Webbe's XI cricketers Barons created by George V