At the end of the war Bols retained the temporary rank of major-general (and his war substantive rank was increased to colonel) and with it command of the 6th Airborne Division. On 21 September 1945 he traveled to Egypt with his HQ staff, arriving shortly after at his final destination, Tel Aviv. The rest of the division followed. He commanded the division whilst it conducted peace-keeping duties in Palestine during the Palestine Emergency. He returned to England, where he attended the Imperial Defence College the following year, before returning to his division in December 1946, succeeding Major General James Cassels who had been in command.