The Revd Giles Galley (1953)

Giles was born on 8^th August 1932 in Oakington Vicarage. The parish belonged to my father, who moved there from Kings Lynn in 1930 and stayed till 1936, when we moved to the parish of Whaddon near Royston and Bassingbourn aerodrome. When the war began my brother became an expert aeroplane spotter and could identify anything in the sky. Unfortunately, I had started boarding school in St Neots and he became very lonely so he was sent to a prep school near Woburn Sands at the age of 7. He was a very shy little boy but he settled in quite well. My father moved to St Neots in 1943 when Giles was 11. He became interested in bell-ringing then which was his interest for the rest of his life. From the prep school he won a foundation grant from Marlborough College. He did well there in classics and maths, and as he was musical was the chapel organist. He left school with an exhibition to read classics and gained a place at Queens’. Before he could take that up he had to do his national service during which he trained as a Russian interpreter and became quite fluent.

At Queens’ he pursued his interest in bells in the company of the Society of College Youths. He brought some of them to St Neots in 1955 to ring for my wedding – a peal which lasted for three hours!

After graduating he trained for ordination at Lincoln Theological College and was ordained in 1959. After 3 curacies at Great Yarmouth, Kings Lynn, and Leeds Parish Church he was given his first parish at St Michaels Orchard Park, near Hull. From 1958-1978 I was in Rhodesia on a mission there. In 1978 we returned to England to a canonry at Worcester Cathedral and I saw more of him the next two decades. Giles became vicar of Strensall in Yorkshire where he served for 21 years until he retired to Stamford Bridge.

He took up his interest in bells. He became President of the Yorkshire Association of Bellringers and ringing in York Minster for some time as Captain of the Tower. He also rang in other countries including Zimbabwe and South Africa to which he had retired in 1995.

After my husband’s death in 2014 I returned to England where we met often.

Sadly, partly owing to his ill health, by the time he was 90 he was showing signs of dementia. He spent nearly 2 years in a care home and died of a chest infection in Scarborough Hospital on April 10^th 2024. His funeral was on May 9^th at Strensall. I was able to attend this as my daughter drove me up to Yorkshire. The church was packed and included over 20 bellringers. I found how popular he had been with many close friends.

Obituary by Pamela Fenwick (Giles' sister)