[1] His maternal grandfather, Captain Evan Rowlands of Llanon,[1][2] was captain of Harmanteh, which whilst making passage between Brazil and the West Coast of Canada, on 22 May 1938 whilst under the control of a local pilot ran aground on Zealous Island, Messier Channel, Chile.
[4] Later he was captain of Stangrant, which during the Battle of the Atlantic was torpedoed and sunk west of the Outer Hebrides (58°27′N 12°36′W / 58.450°N 12.600°W / 58.450; -12.600) by U-37 with the loss of eight of her 38 crew.
Survivors including Captain Rowlands were rescued by a Short Sunderland aircraft of 10 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force.
Since mid-2013, Davies is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with his family, and is the BBC's South American correspondent.
[8] His close friends include BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, who was kidnapped in Gaza in 2007.