Palestine Mandate New Years Honours 1941 Kawassman’s single British Empire Medal, as awarded to Khalil Daoud Ikhwais, spelt Daoud Khalil on the medal, who was employed in the most unusual profession of a Kawass to the District Commissioner for the Jerusalem District of what was then Palestine, his award being announced in the London Gazette for 1st January 1941. A Kawass, also spelt Cavass, was the title for men who acted as combination way clearers or honour escorts / guards employed by specific authorities from government officials to powerful families, from religious leaders to consular and diplomatic officers. This award is extremely rare to a man of this profession.
British Empire Medal, GVI 1st type cypher; (DAOUD KHALIL), fitted with a replaced suspension of the form found on the War Medal 1939-1945.
Condition: suspension replaced, some contact wear and light edge bruising, hence only Very Fine.
Detailed as Daoud Khalil on the medal, the recipient’s correct full name was Khalil Daoud Ikhwais, who worked as the Kawass to the District Commissioner for the Jerusalem District of what was then Palestine, he being awarded the British Empire Medal in the 1941 New Years Honours List as published in the London Gazette for 1st January 1941, one of eight awards listed in this gazette for services rendered in the Palestine Mandate.
A Kawass, also spelt Cavass, was the title for men who acted as combination way clearers or honour escorts / guards employed by specific authorities from government officials to powerful families, from religious leaders to consular and diplomatic officers. This profession probably originated in pre-Ottoman or Ottoman days, when other methods of clearing paths through narrow, crowded streets were ineffective. Kawassmen used their batons and strength to clear the way. This work largely died out among the Jerusalem consular corps in the mid 1970’s, when on the British and French consul generals still used them. The Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, as of 2008, still employed them, and as one eye witness on a forum would state at that time, it was impressive to see them leading a procession through the narrow Old City streets, usually with the Kawassman heading the procession followed by two honour guars then, depending on visitor rank, the guest flanked by either two of four honour guards. Two honour guards would then follow the guest. For senior guests, a junior Kawassman follows the guard procession. Kawassmen have staffs or batons (the length up to about two meters, depends on visitor and Kawassman rank) which they hold virtically and slowly wave from side to side in an arc clearing the path. Traditionally, their processions have the right of way over everyone, including police. To honour important people the procession encounters, the lead Kawassman will either shop waving his staff or deviate slightly from the centre of the road.
This particular medal to Khalil Daoud Ikhwais has an interesting history, having probably been awarded to him on his retirement from his work as a Kawassman, it subsequently turned up with this incorrect suspension in the Omdurman Souk at Khartoum in the Sudan, where it was acquired by a medal collector. It is provenance to the Dix Noonan and Webb of 17th May 2016, where against an estimate of £100-140 it sold for £420 on the hammer, an indication of its rarity, as it then cost over £500 with the commission included.