Arthur John Bigge was born on 18 June 1849 at Linden Hall, Northumberland. He was educated at the Royal Military Academy, and in 1869, was commissioned into the Royal Artillery, from which he retired as lieutenant colonel in 1898. Between 1878 and 1879, he served in the Zulu War, and the following year was appointed groom-in-waiting and assistant private secretary to Queen Victoria. In 1881, he was appointed equerry-in-ordinary, and in 1895, was knighted upon succeeding as private secretary to Queen Victoria, a post he held until her death in 1901, when he was appointed private secretary to the Prince of Wales. On the accession of King George V in 1910, Bigge remained private secretary to the king and the following year, was created first Baron Stamfordham. He died on 31 March 1931 at St. James's Palace, London.
From the guide to the Arthur Bigge collection, 1911-1923, (Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge)
