From Your Archives

The following article was available only on paper in The National Archives' reading rooms. It was designed to act as a signpost to records of interest on a particular historical subject. It is not comprehensive, but may provide the basis for research among the records. It may have been compiled many years ago and could be out of date so feel free to edit this page to improve the information.

The National Archives does not hold the personnel records of the Palestine Police Force.

Until approximately 2004 these records were held by the Department for International Development (DfID) and prior to that by the Crown Agents for the Colonies. They are now held by the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum in Bristol. The museum is in the process of moving to London but their website gives contact details for enquiries.

The collection of records originally held by DfID included around 5,000 service record cards which are now held by the Middle East Centre Archive at St Antony's College, Oxford. See this article on the Palestine Police Oral History Project from the same Oxford College.

The King's Police Medal and Colonial Police Medal for Gallantry and Meritorious Service were issued to the Palestine Police. Relevant records are held by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office at the Records and Historical Services Unit, Hanslope Park, Hanslope, Milton Keynes MK19 7BH. They are not open to the public, but the Records and Historical Services Unit is prepared to answer written enquiries concerning the issue of medals. The Colonial Office records held in the National Archives contain files relating to pensions and gratuities, which include service records and occasionally the death certificates of some individual Arab Police.

History of the Palestine Police 1920-1948

Up to the First World War Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire. After its conquest in 1917 -1918 by British forces, it was placed under British military administration. In 1920 a civil administration was established under Sir Herbert Samuel as High Commissioner. The territory was formally placed under British mandate by the League of Nations in 1922.

The civil government took over a small police force, which had been improvised by the military administration from the local population. It consisted mainly of Arab other ranks with British Officers, as well as a Gendarmerie (controlled by the military) with a British section. By 1926 the Gendarmerie was abolished for economic reasons, and the police became a separate organisation under Mr Mavrogordato as Inspector-General. The conflict between Arabs and Jews made urgent the need in the British section of the Palestine Police for an impartial force to maintain law and order and to assist in carrying out the heavy tasks laid by the mandate. In 1930 Sir Herbert Dowbiggin visited Palestine to advise on police organisation. He recommended the increase of the British section and established Criminal Investigation Department.

In 1933 serious disturbances took place, and the police became involved. With the end of the war, Jewish immigration intensified, as did the resistance of the Arabs to any such influx. The task of the police became progressively more difficult and dangerous. At the end of 1943, a form of Gendarmerie was reintroduced under the title of the Police Mobile Force to provide mobile concentrations at strategic points and also to act as a reserve of strength for the regular police. In July 1946 a special recruiting campaign was undertaken in the United Kingdom. Earlier in 1946, the Palestine Police Office had been opened at Victoria Street, London. This Office took up not only the dissemination of information to prospective recruits, but also general enquiries and welfare matters. The British government made the decision to terminate the mandate towards the end of 1947. The disbanding of the police began in March 1948, when detachments of the British police began to be sent home for discharge. By the 15th of May when the Mandate came to an end, all the police had been evacuated except for a small number who volunteered to remain with the military authorities until their withdrawal somewhat later.

Source: The Colonial Police by Sir Charles Jeffries, K.C.M.G., O.B.E published by Max Parrish Co. Ltd, London 1952

Air Ministry

Colonial Office and predecessors

CO 323: Colonies, General: original correspondence

CO 537: Confidential General and Confidential Original Correspondence

CO 733: Palestine Original Correspondence 1921 to 1949

Other records

Personnel: Original Correspondence

Appointments Department: Registered Files

Defence: Original Correspondence

Foreign Office

Private Office papers of Sir Anthony Eden, Earl of Avon, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs

Consular Department: General correspondence from 1906

General Correspondence from 1906

Home Office: Registered Papers

Ministry of Labour and successors

Metropolitan Police: correspondence and Papers

Ministry of Pensions and successors

Foster-Turner Papers

Treasury Supply Department

Treasury, Establishment Department, Superannuation Division: Registered Files

War Office