Ed Davis

Lieutenant General Edward Grant Martin Davis, (born 13 February 1963) is a former senior Royal Marines officer. He was Commandant General Royal Marines from December 2011 to June 2014, and the Deputy Commander of NATO's Allied Land Command in Izmir, Turkey, from 2014 to 2015. He was Governor of Gibraltar from 2016 to 2020.

On 8 July 2025, Davis took office as Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod in the House of Lords, succeeding Sarah Clarke.

Early life Davis was born in Hereford. He was educated at Coleraine Academical Institution, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland and King's College London (MA Defence Studies, 1998).

Military career Davis was commissioned into the Royal Marines in 1981 and joined 40 Commando with whom he undertook a six-month tour in the Falkland Islands and then a six-month tour in Cyprus. In 1996, he attended the Army Command and Staff Course at Staff College, Camberley.

He was appointed Chief of Staff to the Commander of the UK's Amphibious Forces in 2007 and was deployed to Afghanistan as Chief of Joint Effects for ISAF. He became Commandant General Royal Marines in December 2011.

Davis was promoted major general on 10 January 2012, with seniority from 28 November 2011. He was promoted to lieutenant general on 1 July 2014, and succeeded Lieutenant General Gordon Messenger as Deputy Commander of NATO Allied Land Command (LANDCOM)-Izmir.

Civilian career On 1 October 2015, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office announced that Davis was the designated Governor of Gibraltar after the resignation of Sir James Dutton.

Davis was appointed chair of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council's office in Gibraltar in 2021. Davis stood down as Chair of CWEIC's Gibraltar Hub after his appointment as the Black Rod.

On 29 April 2025 Davis was confirmed as having been appointed to be the next Black Rod, succeeding Sarah Clarke. He received his insignia and took his oath from King Charles III at Windsor Castle on 8 July 2025.

Honours and awards

Appointed Officer (OBE) in 2006