Edgar Tarry Adams was born on 8th December 1852 in Kingsland, West London, and was educated at Denmark Hill Grammar School. He received business training in the City of London Brewery, Upper Thames Street, and later ran the family brewery, TF Adams and Sons, which was previously established and operated by his father Thomas Francis Adams from 1876 onwards. In 1878, Edgar joined the volunteer fire brigade, becoming captain in 1887. His brother Percy joined the 2nd Essex Rifle Volunteers in the same year. Edgar and Percy later became a member of The Volunteers, a group of Essex businessmen and professionals who were not prepared to join the regular army but who enjoyed shooting and would act as a local defence force in support of the regular army. They also encouraged their employees to join. The Volunteers became known as the Territorial Army from 1908 onwards. In 1880, Edgar married Helen Roberts of 20 Fleet Street, London. Edgar and Helen lived at The Cottage, Halstead, Essex from 1880 until their deaths. They also had a second home called The Bungalow located in Deal, Kent. They had five children; Francis Norris (1882-1973), Rodney Phelip (1884), Isabel Mary (1885-?), Gordon (1887-1944) and Pauline (1889-1969). Rodney died when he was just three months old. All his life, Adams took a keen interest in nautical matters, owning several private yachts including ‘Seagull’ and ‘Sandpiper.’ He was an avid photographer and regularly photographed his family, as well as village and city life, boats, ship launches, buildings, landscapes and whatever took his interest. In 1897, Adams became an Associate of the Institution of Naval Architects and, in 1900, joined Cambridge University as a Fellow Commoner of Downing College. He studied physics under the Rev. T. C. Fitzpatrick, geology under Professor Hughes and astronomy under Sir Robert Ball. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1907 and published an article on the History and Uses of Navigating Instruments, The Encyclopaedia of Ships and Shipping (1908). He was a fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society and kept daily records of local climatological conditions. In politics, Adams was a staunch conservative and was one of the earliest members of the Primrose League, an organisation founded in 1883 to spread and promote Conservative principles in Great Britain. In connection with this, he formed a branch of the Boys’ Naval Brigade, under the auspices of the Navy League. At the outbreak of the War, Adams was appointed Naval Recruiting Officer for Halstead and district and was granted honorary commission as Lieutenant, R. N. V. R. in 1917. Adams died on 29th July 1926.