Admiral Sir John A. S. Eccles, K.C.B., K.C.V.O., C.B.E., died on ist March, 1966, at the age of 67. Sir John, who had a distinguished career in the Royal Navy, later applied his vast experience in industry. During the time he was Admiral Commanding Reserves, he was ex-officio of the RNLI Committee of Management from 1952 to 1953. From 1953 he was on the Committee of Management until his resignation in 1964.

A tribute in The Times said of Sir John: "He was a man of few, very carefully chosen words. A memo or a letter from him phrased in his exquisite handwriting left no room for misunderstanding. It paid to read them carefully, for every word was as loaded as it was unequivocal.".