British Mandate Palestine Police Bandmaster Qualification badge 1920- 1948

The oldest police unit in the Land of Israel is not necessarily a fighting unit, to put it more precisely: not just a fighting unit.

The police orchestra was established in 1920, not long after the establishment of the Mandate Police.

In 1918, a young Jewish man of English origin, a gifted musician named Aubrey Silver, arrived in the Land of Israel. Silver arrived in the Land of Israel together with the Hebrew battalions. The British Colonial Office recognized his musical talent and education and assigned Silver the task of establishing a representative police orchestra whose role was to accompany the Mandate Police with music at official ceremonies, events and parties. At the same time, the orchestra also held concerts for the general public.

Most of the orchestra’s musicians were Jewish, some were of Arab origin. The most widely spoken language in the orchestra was Russian.

The orchestra’s musical repertoire consisted mainly of military music at official events, but at balls and events held for the general public, the orchestra played classical, operatic, and even jazz music.

In addition to their role as musicians, all of the orchestra’s police officers were trained to serve as police officers, as a security force in every sense of the word. In any time of security tension where this is required, the orchestra members lay down their instruments and take on security duties and maintain public order.

During the riots of 1929 that broke out in August 1929, the orchestra’s players were called upon to serve as a security force in the Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem. During the fighting, the deputy conductor was killed and another player was seriously injured. In April 1936, during the Great Arab Revolt, the orchestra was stationed in the Kishle in Jerusalem and its role was to patrol the neighborhood’s alleys and observe from the rooftops of buildings. The orchestra’s players worked shoulder to shoulder with additional police units and British army soldiers stationed in the city.

Even after the end of the riots, in the last days of the Mandate Police in Israel and the outbreak of the War of Independence, the orchestra’s musicians continued to be called upon for policing and security missions. A very important aspect of the orchestra’s activities has always been service to the community. Starting in its early days, when the orchestra held concerts for the enjoyment of the general public, and later when it accompanied events for schools and various charitable organizations.