Clive Wigram, 1st Baron Wigram, (5 July 1873 – 3 September 1960) was a

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

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 Sir Robert Wigram, 1st Baronet (30 January 1744 – 6 November 1830) was a British merchant shipbuilder and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons of Great Britain and of the United Kingdom between 1802 and 1807. Background Wigram was ...

, who was a prominent merchant. Clive was educated at Winchester College, of which he later became a Fellow. After Winchester, he attended the

Royal Military Academy, Woolwich The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich, in south-east London, was a British Army military academy for the training of commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers of the Royal Corps of Sig ...

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 between 1893 and 1897 and in the

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 The Tirah campaign, often referred to in contemporary British accounts as the Tirah expedition, was an Indian frontier campaign from September 1897 to April 1898. Tirah is a mountainous tract of country in what was formally known as Federally ...

in the North West Frontier from 1897 to 1898. From 1899 to 1904 he was Aide-de-Camp to the Viceroy of India Lord Curzon, an office he had already filled in 1895 (under the

Earl of Elgin Earl of Elgin is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1633 for Thomas Bruce, 3rd Lord Kinloss. He was later created Baron Bruce, of Whorlton in the County of York, in the Peerage of England on 30 July 1641. The Earl of Elgin is the ...

). He resigned (temporary) in January 1900 to serve with Kitchener's Horse in the Second Boer War, for which he was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. He was promoted to captain on 4 October 1902.

Court positions

Between 1905 and 1906 Wigram served as Assistant

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

to the Prince of Wales in India. On 19 March 1906, he was promoted to the brevet rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

and was appointed

Equerry An equerry (; from French ' stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually up ...

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 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 Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

on 3 June 1915. In 1915 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel, and later to

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

colonel. 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 The position of Keeper of the Archives at the University of Oxford in England dates from 1634, when it was established by new statutes for the university brought in by William Laud ( Archbishop of Canterbury and Chancellor of the University) ...

from 1931 to 1945, as an Extra Equerry from 1931 until his death, as a Permanent Lord in Waiting from 1936 to 1960 and Deputy

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

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

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

and of the Zoological Society of London, President of Westminster Hospital and Governor of Wellington College 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 t ...

Wigram was made a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

1918, a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1931 and a

Knight Grand Cross 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 one ...

in 1933. He also became a Member of the Royal Victorian Order in 1903, a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1915, a

Knight 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, or ...

1928 and a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order in 1932 and made a Companion of the Order of the Star of India in 1911. He was sworn of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

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 The Royal Victorian Chain is a decoration instituted in 1902 by King Edward VII as a personal award of the monarch (i.e. not an award made on the advice of any Commonwealth realm government). It ranks above the Royal Victorian Order, with which it ...

. He also received the Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal 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 Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the 6th Bn. Grenadier Guards, as which he was killed on 12 September 1943 during the

Allied invasion An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

Salerno Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...

in Italy during the Second World War. He is buried at Salerno War Cemetery. He was educated at Winchester College, 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