Giles was the only son of Mr. Parmer and Mrs. Sandy Parmer. He was a person of intense simplicity given to spiritual acts. Although born in a very prosperous home in England, he made India his home and was staying in the temple town of Gokarna for the last few years. On the morning of 1 November Giles was walking past the beach on his way to the town when he saw two persons calling for help in the sea. Giles berated the large crowd on the beach for doing nothing to help two fellow humans. His last words shouted towards the crowd were, 'Are you humans at all?' Then, in complete disregard to his own safety (Giles was an experienced swimmer and knew the sea had been rough for the past few days), he jumped in, never to return. It was an act of utter selflessness and sacrifice made for the sake of two fellow human beings he did not even know.