Sir Ronald Adam
1885 – 1982
General Sir Ronald Adam
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1903-1946
Rank	General
Commands held	III Corps Northern Command
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Officer of the Order of the British Empire

General Sir Ronald Forbes Adam, 2nd Baronet, GCB, DSO, OBE (1885–1982) was a British Army officer whose career spanned World War I and World War II. He had an important influence on the conduct of the British army in World War II as a result of his long tenure as Adjutant General, responsible for the army's organisation and administration, as well as through being a close confidant of Alan Brooke, the professional head of the army from late 1941 until the end of the war.

Contents 1 Military career 2 See also 3 Notes 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Military career

Educated at Eton College and the Royal Military Academy Woolwich,^[1] Adam was commissioned in 1903 from the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich into the Royal Artillery. After a posting to India with the Royal Horse Artillery, he served in France, Belgium and Italy during World War I during which he attained the permanent rank of major (in November 1916) and was awarded the DSO, the OBE and was Mentioned in despatches three times. After the war he held a number of successively more senior staff postings at the War Office. He also spent a period as an instructor at the Army Staff College between 1932 and 1935 when the other instructors included Anderson, Gort, Montgomery, Neame, Paget and Thorne.^[2] He was appointed Commander Royal Artillery for 1 Division in 1936.^[1] He went on to receive in 1937 the prestigious posting of Commandant of the Staff College, Camberley, his first appointment as major-general.^[1] When Gort, a man of action but not particularly cerebral, was appointed Chief of the Imperial General Staff Adam was made one of his deputies "to be the thinking head whilst Gort provided the drive".^[2] He is viewed as having masterminded a number of key reforms to the army in the run up to World War II during this appointment.

When Gort went to command the British Expeditionary Force he wanted to take Adam as his Chief of Staff. The Secretary of State for War, Leslie Hore-Belisha refused the request on the grounds of maintaining continuity. However, in October 1939 he was appointed commander of III Corps^[1] which by February 1940 was crossing the Channel to join the BEF. When in late May the BEF was ordered to evacuate, Adam was given the task of organising the Dunkirk perimeter. It is said that it was substantially due to Adam's leadership that the BEF was able to retreat behind a strong perimeter and leave France in relatively good order.^[3]

On his return from France in 1940 Adam was appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command,^[1] responsible for the defence of the coastline from The Wash to the Scottish border. In June 1941 he was appointed Adjutant General,^[1] the second military member of the Army Council and a key role with responsibility for all personnel, administration and organisational matters. The role was of particular importance during the war years because of the need for the army to adapt its practices to meet the needs of a conscript army led by non-career officers. He was seen by Winston Churchill as being too radical and aroused the suspicions of some of the more conservative senior army generals. Churchill attempted to have him posted in early 1944 as Governor of Gibraltar but Alan Brooke, who had been appointed CIGS at the end of 1941 and who saw him as progressive, ensured he continued to hold the post of Adjutant General while he remained CIGS, which continued until the end of the war.^[4] Adam's influence on the conduct of the war was not only through his long tenure as Adjutant General but also because he was one of Brooke's only two confidants, the two of them lunching regularly when both in London.^[2]

[edit] See also

• The Adam Baronets

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Alanbrooke, Field Marshal Lord (edited by Alex Danchev and Daniel Todman) (2001). War Diaries 1939-1945. Phoenix Press. ISBN 1-84212-526-5. 
• Mead, Richard (2007). Churchill's Lions: A biographical guide to the key British generals of World War II. Stroud (UK): Spellmount. ISBN 978-1-86227-431-0. 
• Biography

[edit] External links

• British Army Officers 1939-1945

Military offices
Preceded by Sir Colville Wemyss	Adjutant General 1941–1946	Succeeded by Sir Richard O'Connor