Bizarre twist to gravestone appeal

A police appeal for information about one of their own that was killed on duty in Montgomery more than a century has had a bizarre twist.

 

Pc William Davies, 43, died from injuries suffered whilst trying to arrest sheep rustlers in 1903. And Dyfed-Powys Police made an appeal through local media to try and trace relatives because they wanted to renovate his aging gravestone.

 

But it has come to light this week that the officer’s wife and four children were evicted from their home just two weeks after the officer had died!

 

PC Davies’s great grandson, Michael Davies, spoke to the BBC this week about the events leading up to the policeman’s death and the unfortunate twist just two days later. He had been told that because PC Davies died as a result of his injuries three weeks after the incident and not at the time itself, he was not killed in action so his family was not entitled to compensation.

 

Dyfed-Powys Police spokesman, Kevin Smith, said: “It is still shocking to find out what happened to PC Davies's family in the aftermath of his death but it was a different world then.

 

“We have been in touch with a monumental mason to see if the grave can be restored,” said Mr Smith. “Once the gravestone has been restored we would like to re-dedicate the grave as a mark of respect to the memory of PC Davies.”

 

The state of Pc Davies' grave was brought to the attention of Dyfed-Powys Police chief constable Ian Arundale, who believes it should be maintained in a manner befitting the officer's professionalism and ultimate sacrifice.