Frank Adams, pictured above, was born in Downley in 1891. He joined Wycombe Wanderers as a player in 1910 and was elected Club Captain in 1919. By the time of his retirement in 1929 he had made 331 appearances and scored 104 goals. He played in two Spartan League championship-winning teams and helped the club three times to win the Berks and Bucks Senior Cup. Yet his impact on the club was much more far-reaching than mere statistics!
In an act of supreme generosity this former player, captain, committee member and, by then, life member purchased the freehold of Loakes Park from its owner, Lord Carrington, and in 1947 presented the deeds to the club, thereby securing the future of the club for generations to come.
Frank Adams was then made Patron of the club – a position he continued in until his death in 1981. He was also elected to serve on the Football Association, and served on a number of their committees, including the International Committee.
When Wycombe Wanderers moved to the new stadium in Hillbottom Road in 1990, it was given the name of Adams Park in lasting recognition of Frank’s lifetime of service and supreme generosity to the Football Club.
Frank is also remembered in High Wycombe for his distinguished war service. He served in the Army and then the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War, and in the RAF in the Second World War. The ground floor of the state-of-the art Royal Star and Garter care home in High Wycombe, for service veterans, which opened in 2019, is named after Frank.
Frank’s younger son Jack, who served in the Indian Army during WW2, took over as Patron until his death in 2002. A Chartered Surveyor and former Estate Agent in High Wycombe, he was part of the team who created Adams Park, allowing the Club to play at League level.
The close Adams connection with Wycombe Wanderers continues to this day. Jack’s daughter, Karen Adams, serves on the Board of Frank Adams Legacy Limited, the company which continues to own Adams Park, and she is also a Trustee of Wycombe Wanderers Sports and Education Trust. Wycombe Wanderers Trust is also proud that Karen serves as its President, ensuring that her grandfather’s legacy is in good hands.
It is with many thanks to Karen Adams that we have had so much of Frank’s memorabilia loaned to the club, some of which is on display at Adams Park. Karen has also loaned memorabilia to the High Wycombe Museum and the town’s Library for exhibitions about Wycombe Wanderers and its history.
