In looking at the history of Bow School- and in talking with various Old Bowites- the figure who stands out the most is Charlie Adamson. Adamson had been associated with Bow School all of his life, being a pupil from 1918, a member of staff from 1945 and a headmaster from 1961 to 1976. He also helped coach many of the students in cricket and rugby, and was the nephew of former headmaster Fanny Lodge (1880-1961). It was in the field of cricket, however, that Adamson first came into prominence. 

As early as 1921 at the age of fourteen newspapers called him "Durham City's most promising player" after his excellent performance of 61 innings not out. "He looks like he will be keeping up the reputation of a good sporting family" said one newspaper. This was while he was still attending Durham School, until his graduation in 1925. The President of the Durham City Cricket Club, speaking of its consitutent members, commented that "Many of them had lived long enough to remember his grandfather and father, both of whom were members of the county eleven, and they looked forward to the day when this young cricketer would aspire to county honours.

" Charlie would often play cricket alongside his brother, John, who was "beyond all question a first-class batsman". A 1932 headline proudly stated "Adamson Brothers Make Merry at Whitburn". Even when not playing together, they followed each other's careers closely. A 1939 telegram said of one successful match "MAGNIFICENT KEEP ON TAPPING THEM – JOHN". He also played with other Old Dunelmians, even batting alongside H.C. Ferens as an opening pair at Durham City. In a 1951 retrospective of his career, an article said "It is also a known fact that Charles Adamson was probably the most feared batsman by Senior League teams in all parts of the county, especially when brother John, Askew, Youngman, Smeddle and the rest were there to follow up with some hurricane hitting." 

While a prodigious cricketer, he played in an unusual way, focusing on wearing down the bowler while scoring slowly and steadily. This "meticulous care" sometimes rubbed cricket aficionados the wrong way. "Charles Adamson sometimes gets it in the neck from the crowd, because he awaits the right one to hit," said one paper, while another opined "Might as well expect the leopard to change its sports as to expect C.L. Adamson to get runs at the same pace as Gibbon when thoroughly going". His solid, unflashy batting meant that he truly earned the title, given in the late 1930s, of "the greatest Durham cricketer in the past 30 years or more". 

From 1930 onwards, when he wasn't playing cricket for Durham, he was establishing a preparatory school at Rock Lodge, Sunderland. While there, he was able to instil a love of sport in his students; this changed, however, with the advent of World War II. Charlie was conscripted as a 'Bevin Boy', where he worked long and arduous hours mining for coal. It was perhaps because of this that he would forever have a fondness for the annual Durham Miner's Gala. He received a hand injury while mining, and so was released from active service.

After the war, Charlie's aunt, Fanny Lodge, invited him to work at Durham School as Senior Master. It was quickly obvious that Lodge was preparing Charlie to be her successor; in 1948 she announced that he was her business partner, while advertisements for the school released in 1949 stated that it was run by 'joint principals'. It was around this time that he met Mary Bolland, who would become the 'Mrs Adamson' that a generation of Bowites would remember fondly. "A tireless worker, she taught art, organised the Cub Pack, transported boys to and from matches and in the summer kept the boarders occupied in the evenings at the sandpit in Little High Wood." 

When Fanny Lodge died in 1961, Adamson ascended to the role of Headmaster. Several changes were introduced, including the abolishment of corporal punishment and the division of the boys into different groups called 'sections'. At Speech Day in 1962, he laid out his philosophy on teaching the child: "We hope and encourage him to be unselfish, well-behaved, manly, able to survive hardships and not to give up in the face of difficulties, have a good sense of humour and strong principles of right and wrong, not be fearful of responsibility, possessing a clean tongue and a fine mind." It is perhaps because of these values that Adamson is fondly remembered by much of the Bow School contingent.