The Whaler of Scotland Yard

Jock Murray looks back over an extraordinary and varied life in this entertaining autobiography. From humble beginnings on a croft in the Outer Hebrides, at the age of fifteen he went on to work in the Hydro tunnels on the mainland as the Hydro-Electric board embarked on some of the most ambitious civil engineering projects of the century. By seventeen he had sailed several times round the world and spent two years as a whaler in the Antarctic. And over a long career in the Metropolitan Police he served on 6 Divisions as well as in specialised squads (regional crime squad, flying squad, stolen car squad, central drug squad as well as several murder squads), which gave him an intimate and unrivalled knowledge of the murkier aspects of London life. In 1977 he was involved in Operation Ohio as the police dealt with a major and vicious spate of armed robbery in the Midlands and south of England. Since returning to Lewis he has maintained a high profile, both for his charity work (he has raised money for Leukaemia research and the Anthony Nolan Trust) as well as more controversial things, such as serving alcohol in his pub on Sundays and campaigning for Sunday flights and ferries. All this, and much more, is covered in this witty and amusing memoir which is bound to appeal to Hebrideans both at home and abroad, as well those with an interest in true crime and all readers who appreciate the story of those with a remarkable zest for life.