Palestine Police white metal shoulder title by Dowler, British Mandate

An original Palestine Police shoulder title in white metal, made by Dowler of Birmingham.

In good condition for its age.

The Palestine Police

The Palestine Police was created in 1920 to keep order in the British Mandate of Palestine. It had separate British, Arab and Jewish sections, with British officers in command.

The British section was made up mostly of ex-servicemen recruited in the UK.

The Arab Revolt and the Tegart forts

The 1930s were its making. The Arab Revolt of 1936 to 1939 turned it from a civil police into something close to a paramilitary force.

It grew fast and armoured cars came in. Sir Charles Tegart oversaw the building of a chain of fortified police stations. Many of these "Tegart forts" still stand today.

After 1945

After 1945 the main threat came from Jewish underground groups such as the Irgun and Lehi. British constables faced bombings and ambushes, and the force was stretched to breaking point.

At its peak the British section numbered several thousand men, many of them young recruits straight out of wartime service.

Disbanded in 1948

The force was disbanded when the Mandate ended in May 1948. Many of its men went straight on to police other parts of the empire, especially Malaya, where Palestine veterans were prized for their experience.

Maker: Dowler of Birmingham

W. Dowler & Sons was a long-established Birmingham button and badge maker, founded in the 18th century. The firm made insignia for many colonial police and military forces, and merged with Firmin in 1969.