- Killed in Combat, World War II
- Officer in Grenadier Guards
Biography
Captain Desmond Allan Shafto Adair was born 10 April 1920 to Allan Henry Shafto Adair, 6th Baronet Adair (1897-1988) and Enid Violet Ida Ward (1897-1984) and died 10 November 1943 Mount Camino, Italy of unspecified causes.
First Battle of Monte Camino 05-10-Nov-1943
- First Battle of Mount Camino - Full first hand report of the assualt of the Grenadier Guards Battalion on this fortified German position. (This account of the battle was written 18 Months after the event by Lt C M Wheatley, Platoon Commander, No. 2 Coy Grenadier Guards. He was 19 years old at the time of the battle.) It appears the battle lasted several days, with action beginning on 5th Nov, 1943.
"We gained wireless comms late in the day and learnt that a patrol would come up to us during the night. There was talk of us being relieved, by this time we were almost past caring and there was the question of whether the relieving troops could get through. Desmond Adair with a small patrol plus 4 stretcher bearers arrived halfway through the night after we had had a small skirmish and put Ralph Howard on a stretcher. He did not return the same way as he had come but went slightly below my platoon positions and then back. There was an explosion and several bursts of fire, then Ralph Howard shouted to me that the party had been attacked and asked for more stretcher bearers. A stretcher bearer went out and found 2 S.B’s dead, one wounded and no sign of Desmond Adair. Ralph was eventually evacuated to safety, of Desmond we had no news for a long time. It was some 18 months later that his body was discovered and positively identified, he now rests with his comrades in Cassino War Cemetery."
Adair Baronets
Desmond was the oldest son, and in line to become the 7th Baronet Adair, Adair Baronets. His father, Alan Henry Shafto Adair, 6th Baronet Adair (1897-1988), was a major general. This barony became extinct with his death in 1988. Desmond died in the war, and a younger brother died as a little child, leaving no male heirs for this family.
Ballymena Castle
From a postcard of the early 20th Century.
Ballymena Castle was a large estate located in the village of Ballymena in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The land was first given to the Adair family by King Charles I in 1626, with a right to hold two annual fairs and a free Saturday market in perpetuity. As of 2018, the Saturday market still runs. In 1865, one of the key descendants, Robert Alexander Shafto Adair (2nd Baronet Adair) made extensive modifications to the castle. But in the 20th century, the placed was little used, becoming victim to vandalism and arson before being sold and demolished in 1957. The Adairs sold much of the surrounding landholdings to their tenants.
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Desmond Allan Shafto Adair (1920-1943) | 10 April 1920 | 10 November 1943 Mount Camino, Italy | |
| Robert Dudley Shafto Adair (1923-1925) | |||
| Bridget Mary Adair (1928-2018) | |||
| Juliet Enid Adair (1930-1989) | |||
| Annabel Violet Adair (1937-2018) | |||
Residences
See Also
- Desmond Adair
- Adair Family
- Adair Baronets