- published: 20 Sep 2014
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Adam (Hebrew: אָדָם; Aramaic/Syriac: ܐܕܡ; Arabic: آدم) is a figure from the Book of Genesis who is also mentioned in the New Testament, the deuterocanonical books, the Quran, the Book of Mormon, and the Book of Iqan. According to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, he was the first human.
In the Genesis creation narratives, he was created by Yahweh-Elohim ("Yahweh-God", the god of Israel), though the term "adam" can refer to both the first individual person, as well as to the general creation of humankind. Christian churches differ on how they view Adam's subsequent behavior of disobeying God (often called the Fall of man), and to the consequences that those actions had on the rest of humanity. Christian and Jewish teachings sometimes hold Adam and Eve (the first woman) to a different level of responsibility for the Fall, though Islamic teaching holds both equally responsible. In addition, Islam holds that Adam was eventually forgiven, while Christianity holds that redemption occurred only later through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Bahá'í Faith, Islam and some Christian denominations consider Adam to be the first prophet.
General Sir Ronald Forbes Adam, 2nd Baronet GCB, DSO, OBE (30 October 1885 – 26 December 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.
Adam was the eldest son of Sir Frank Forbes Adam, 1st Baronet and his wife Rose Frances Kemball.
Educated at Eton College and the Royal Military Academy Woolwich, 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 Distinguished Service Order, appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire 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. He was appointed Commander Royal Artillery for 1st Division in 1936. He went on to receive in 1937 the prestigious posting of Commandant of the Staff College, Camberley, his first appointment as major-general. When Gort, a man of action but not particularly cerebral, was appointed Chief of the Imperial General Staff Adam was made Deputy Chief of the Imperial General Staff "to be the thinking head whilst Gort provided the drive". 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.