 Newbigging was born on 19 January 1934 in Tianjin, China to David Locke Newbigging and L. M. Newbigging.David Locke Newbigging was also director of the Jardine Matheson & Co and was interned at the Stanley Internment Camp during the Japanese occupation in Hong Kong.For his services for maintaining order during the internment, David Locke was awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1946.