Colonel D G Adams, DSO OBE TD
Commanding Officer - The East Surrey Regiment & (The Queen's Royal Regiment)
Commanded 2/6th Bn The East Surrey Regiment during June 1940.
Donovan Guy Adams was born on 1st February 1901 and was educated at Haileybury. He was commissioned in the 24th (Defence Force)Battalion in April 1921. The next year he joined the 24th London Regiment (The Queen's) - renamed in 1937 the 7th (Southwark) Bn The Queen's Royal Regiment – with whom he served until 1938, being the Commanding Officer from 1933. In 1938 he relinquished his rank to serve as a major in the 72nd Searchlight Regiment RA (TA). In March 1940 he was posted to 2/6th Bn The East Surrey Regiment as 2 i/c. The Battalion landed in France in April 1940 as a line of communications unit and became deeply involved in the battle for France. On 3rd June he assumed command of the Battalion which he led with distinction during the intense fighting prior to the surrender at St Valery on 12th June when he became a prisoner of war. For his fine leadership he was awarded the DSO. For his conduct during the difficult days in a German prison camp he was made an OBE in 1945.
After the war he entered the service of the Foreign Office (German Section),
He died on 3rd September 1963.
For obituary see the Journal of The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment Vol.1 No.8 page 549.
See also J M A Tamplin's The Lambeth and Southwark Volunteers page 247
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