Amongst his many talents, John Giles was a fine oarsman who made a significant contribution to the run of success that Emmanuel Boat Club (EBC) enjoyed in the late ‘50s. He was selected to row in what was a classic Cambridge VIII which won the 1958 Boat Race. He gained a further Blue in 1959 when the result of The Boat Race was less favourable.
John’s articulate, thought provoking and scholarly manner, combined with his modesty and bespectacled appearance tended to conceal his athletic prowess; that is until one spied the shield on his mantelpiece showing that he was the Army 400m hurdles champion 1954 during National Service. Before that he had established himself as stroke to the Winchester College VIII, winning the Schools Head of the River Race and the Princess Elizabeth Cup, at Henley in 1954.
In addition to his University rowing commitments, John gave considerable support to college rowing. This included stroking the winning Light IVs in 1957 & 1958, a victory last achieved by Emma in 1867! He rowed in the First May Boat from 1957 to 1960. During that time Emma moved up from 8th to 3rd. The following year provided a golden opportunity to go head of the Mays with an almost unchanged crew. But despite closing on second placed Jesus on all four days, Emma failed to bump them. Jesus’ Fairbairn style with its bell-notes stirred up enough rough water to make rowing behind them very hard work, but perhaps not an excuse! Overall, 1959 proved to be the best year for the Emmanuel College Boat Club during that period with a wonderful esprit de corps, much of it driven by John. It is gratifying to note that Emma scored 16 bumps among their 7 crews in the Mays, only being bumped twice. They also won five of the 8 small boat events on the Cam. John Giles again proved himself as stroke in the University Magdalene Pairs event winning in a record time of 7min 33secs. Mention must include L V Bevan, our valued coach who gently encouraged crews with ‘looseness & control’.
At Henley, John’s input helped the College to reach the semifinals of the Ladies Plate in ‘57,’58 &’59. In 1959 John stroked the Emma VIII, probably the College’s best for some years. Even so, the semifinal proved to be a tough contest with St.Edmund Hall, head of the river at Oxford. The race started evenly up to the barrier, when the opposition moved ahead by 2/3rds of a length. John, at stroke, kept his ‘cool’, striking just 29 strokes per minute. At the mile post he slowly raised the rating keeping the length & timing. Emma drew level and with a final spurt along the enclosures won by 1/2 length, driving themselves to produce the fastest time of that day. Later that afternoon JRG, with Mike Edgar, who was no 7 in the VIII, competed as the Cambridge winning pair in the Silver Goblets & Nickalls’ Challenge Cup against the Oxford champion pair, Norton and Scurfield, who wisely had opted out of their college Ladies Plate crew at Henley, reserving their energy for the one event. Edgar & Giles, still recovering from the earlier race, were no match for them. Lessons were learnt. In the Ladies Plate final, Emma lost to Lady Margaret Boat Club, Head of the River at Cambridge.
John had a keen and occasionally eccentric sense of humour. During the Henley crew’s stay at Wilminster Cottage his satirical digest of the morning papers over breakfast, especially the Mail & Mirror, generated much mirth. At the occasional bump supper, John regaled the club with his humorous rendering of recent river activities On another occasion, after a practice row down the Long Reach, John announced in a loud voice “Ladies and gentlemen, I have just completed my millioneth rowing stroke!” Memory suggests that there was applause even from the towpath.
Away from the river, John read History moving to Theology when he became Needham Windsor Scholar in his post graduate year. He was secretary to the EBC in his second year finding time to coach the 2nd May boat to achieve 4 bumps. He also gained his college athletic colours in hurdling. Wider interests included support of the Chapel, being Warden in 1957, the Hugh Burnaby Society and support of the Emmanuel Youth Club in Southwark. He enjoyed relaxing to the music of his own recorder. John supported soirees of the Emmanuel XII Club, one with the ladies of Newnham College at which he met Jill Hornblower, his future wife.
John with his twin brother David grew up in Lymington, after early wartime periods in Chesapeake,USA. Their father, ‘Jack’ Laurant Giles, was a distinguished naval architect, famous for his sailing boats. The twins were educated at Hordle House Preparatory School then Winchester College, David subsequently following his father into naval architecture. After Cambridge John attended Rippon Hall Theological college, 1961. -1962. During this time, he married Jill Hornblower. He was ordained Deacon in 1963 moving to the Parish of Lowestoft. He became Priest in 1963
John married Jill Horblower in 1961 whilst at Ripon Hall Theological College, before ordination and his subsequent career in the Anglican Church in East Anglia, Kidbrooke near Blackheath, finally Sheffield before retiring in Aldeburgh, where he became involved in the Maltings and the music of Benjamin Britten. John and Jill Giles had 4 children, Robert, Henry, Kate and William. Robert attained an Oxford Trial Cap and rowed in the winning Isis crew. He then taught Modern Languages at Tiffin’s School, Kingston, where with his father he double sculled in some local regattas. He subsequently moved to Dublin. Kate Giles has achieved repute as a modernist landscape painter.
Written by friend Michael Edgar