Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

Sir Kenneth John Eaton (12 August 1934 – 20 July 2022) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

officer who served as Controller of the Navy from 1989 to 1994, as well as President of the

Society for Nautical Research The Society for Nautical Research is a British society that conducts research and sponsors projects related to maritime history worldwide. Founded in 1910, the Society initially encouraged research into seafaring, ship-building, the language and ...

from 2020 to 2022.

Early life

Born in Plymouth on 12 August 1934, the son of John and May, Eaton was educated initially at Sheerness Dockyard School where he undertook apprenticeship as an electrician. He later attended

Borden Grammar School Borden Grammar School is a grammar school with academy status in Sittingbourne, Kent, England, which educates boys aged 11–18. A small number of girls have also been admitted to the Sixth Form. The school holds specialist status in sports. H ...

and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge where he secured a BA in Mechanical Sciences Tripos.

Naval career

Eaton joined the

in 1953, as a Special Entry Cadet (Electrical Branch) and was confirmed as a

sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second hig ...

in 1957. Trained as a weapons engineer, he served on the

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

HMS ''Victorious'' from 1959 to 1961 and then worked at the Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment from 1961 to 1965. He then served on the aircraft carrier HMS ''Eagle'', at the shore establishment HMS ''Collingwood'' and the

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed ...

HMS ''Bristol'' from 1965 to 1971. He then worked on the Defence Communications Network from 1971 to 1972 and then returned to the Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment where he remained until joining the aircraft carrier HMS ''Ark Royal'' in 1976. Promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, he was posted to the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

in 1978. He was appointed assistant director of Communications Planning in 1979, assistant director of Command Systems in 1981, Director of Torpedoes in 1983 and Director-General of Underwater Weapons for the Navy in 1985. Promoted to

rear-admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

on 3 November 1987, he went on to become Flag Officer, Portsmouth and Commander of HM Naval Base Portsmouth in 1987 and, with promotion to vice-admiral, he became Controller of the Navy in 1989. He was promoted to full

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

in 1993 and retired on 3 August 1994. He was appointed a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

in the

1990 Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours 1990 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 15 June 1990, to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of 1990. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged firstly by the ...

and advanced to

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in the 1994 New Year Honours.

Later life

In retirement Eaton served as

Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the group ...

of Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Trust from 1995 to 1999, the

United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority is a UK government research organisation responsible for the development of fusion energy. It is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy ...

from 1996 to 2002 and the Mary Rose Trust from 2001 to 2007. He was also

Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom The Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom is a now honorary office generally held by a senior (possibly retired) Royal Navy admiral, though the current incumbent is a retired Royal Marine General. Despite the title, the Rear-Admiral of the Unite ...

from 2001 to 2007. Eaton was a member of the

from 1986, then served as a council member in 2010, chairman in 2011 and finally became President in 2020, a post he remained in until his death. As well as more prominent Chairmanships, Eaton was also involved with local affairs, chairing the Warnford Village Meeting and the Winchester Science Centre & Planetarium, as well as supporting local opera societies the Wessex Glyndebourne Association, West Green Opera and Grange Festival Opera. In 2004, Eaton was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Sciences Degree from Aston University.

Personal life and death

In 1959, Eaton married Sheena Buttle; they had two sons and a daughter. Eaton died at home on 20 July 2022, at the age of 87 after a short illness. He was buried at The Church of Our Lady of Warnford on 17 August 2022.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Eaton, Kenneth 1934 births 2022 deaths Alumni of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge Royal Navy admirals Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath People educated at Borden Grammar School Military personnel from Plymouth, Devon