There appear to be 2 Edward Davies in the Palestine Gendarmerie
1901 Born probably Birmingham
The only E Davies on the RIC register is # 76838 Joined 17 Dec 1920, posted to B Coy & resigned 16 Dec 1921 And he is Ethelbert Davies, who did not die in Palestine
1923 Jun 10. Killed in an attack in Palestine
Sir Herbert Samuel
2012 photograph by Michael Gottschalk as part of the project to restore headstones for PPOCA
Constable Davies was killed at the scene and buried in Nazareth Cemetery with military honours on 11th June. Constable 790 Edward Davies aged 20 years, was appointed to the Force on 28th April 1923. He was stationed with No. 6 Company of the British Gendarmerie section of the Palestine Police at Nazareth. Edward, originally from Warwickshire, England, had been secretly married on joining (the Force only taking single men) and was survived by his wife and baby son, who received a police pension and child allowance; he was also survived by his mother and younger brother.
WW2 Talk. Background to the Incident (The Palestine Weekly 22/6/1923):
On the 10th and 11th June 1923 the British High Commissioner of Palestine, His Excellency Sir Herbert Samuel, visited Metullah, the northern-most Jewish colony, and Banyas (Dan) prior to the transfer of the area from French Lebanon to British Palestine control. He was accompanied by his Aide-de-Camp, Captain R. F. Monckton; the French Liaison Officer at Jerusalem, Commandant de Maure-Pas; and the Commandant of the Northern District Palestine Police, Mr W. F. Sinclair.
Summary of Events (police reports and statements of those involved):
On the afternoon of Sunday 10th June 1923 12 members of No. 6 Company, British Gendarmerie, stationed at Nazareth, comprising a Sergeant and 10 Constables under the command of Lieutenant R. B. Parker, in two police vehicles, were detailed to escort the High Commissioner’s party from Rosh Pina to Metullah. At 1435 hours the BG escort was joined by the HC’s party in one car with an outrider (a second car having been delayed) and the whole group moved to Metullah arriving at 1700, when the HC’s security was handed over to the Palestine Gendarmerie.
At 1745 the BG escort left Metullah and waited at Jahalah for the HC’s cars to inform them to await the HC on the 14th at Nebi Yusha. One BG, Constable McCormick, then travelled on ahead with the HC’s cars, whilst the main BG party took a different route towards Rosh Pina.
The BG Escort now consisted of two Gendarmerie vehicles, a Ford Touring Car (No. P357G) containing Lt. Parker and Constables Davies, Golden (driver) and Loydall; and a Ford Tender (No. P398G) containing Sgt. McMahon and Constables Boland, Bunkall, Croy, Pope, Purvis and Silverwood.
About 1900 hours at Wadi Hindush (or Hindaj), near Ain-el Mellahah, North West of Lake Huleh; Lt. Parker who was in the leading car followed behind by the tender, saw 8 men in front acting suspiciously. He ordered his driver to stop, and got out, revolver drawn, to see what was happening, when they were immediately fired on from their front and side. He returned fire but the 3 constables in his car were all hit, Loydall was killed outright and Parker then ordered the two wounded constables to fall back to the Tender about 50 yards behind but as they did so Davies was hit again and mortally wounded.
Meanwhile the tender had also come under fire from both sides; Croy had been wounded and then became cut off from his colleagues and got lost in the confusion. Purvis had been hit twice and was fatally wounded. The remaining officers continued to engage their attackers for some 20 minutes when it began to get dark and fire slackened. Golden volunteered to retrieve the car which he did and all, except Croy who could not be found left the scene in the two vehicles.
They drove to the village of Yesod Hamaala to seek medical assistance. Additional medical help and police arrived during the night. Croy made his way back to Jahalah village and police were sent for and the next day all returned to Nazareth. The HC’s visit was terminated early his party returning on the 12th.
Four of the assailants were arrested on the 12th by French authorities near the Lebanon border in possession of Loydall’s rifle and under interrogation implicated a fifth man but denied any more were involved. They were identified as members of a notorious gang of Arab bandits who had been responsible for several attacks and murders on the Lebanon roads in recent months and had entered Palestine to escape the local Lebanon and Syrian police.
The BG escort thought there may have been as many as twenty or more attackers at the ambush, Parker stated he saw 8 in the road ahead and they were also fired on from the flanks. The Touring Car was found to have 16 bullet holes and the Tender 12, and their occupants received 8 gunshot wounds (all of which may suggest a larger number than 5 assailants).