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Just the Job - Digital Edition (Geoffrey Morton, 1957)

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Just the Job - Digital Edition (Geoffrey Morton, 1957)

Just the Job is a memoir written by my father, Geoffrey Morton, first published in 1957. It recounts his life as a British Colonial Police officer, culminating in the 1942 killing of Avraham Stern, leader of the Zionist underground group Lehi.

Long out of print, and shaped by the assumptions of its time, this re-release is not a celebration of empire but an honest legacy project. In revisiting it, I hope to contribute to the historical record—and invite reflection on the enduring impact of colonial entanglements.

This digital edition is free. If it speaks to you, please consider making a donation to the International Committee of the Red Cross, whose humanitarian work in Gaza and beyond continues under immense pressure.

Donate to the ICRC.

— Geoffrey Morton Jnr


From the Foreword:

This is my own personal story; a story of learning the hard way—from the bottom up; of pleasant and highly unpleasant tasks performed in the course of duty; of murder and violence and sudden death; of brave men and cowards; of many mistakes and some successes; of a wife who was a tower of strength, and of many good comrades of differing races and colours and creeds whose common denominator was, above all else, a love of police work.

From the Epilogue:

If I were young again and seeking an interesting and varied career I would not choose otherwise. I have had many distasteful and unpleasant duties to perform, many setbacks, frustrations and serious problems to contend with, and many very heavy responsibilities to shoulder, often out of all proportion to my age and seniority; and, inevitably, there are many episodes in my life which, in the light of maturer judgment and experience, I would wish to have tackled differently.

In spite of all the difficulties, however, a career in the Colonial Police Service—or, rather, Her Majesty's Overseas Police Service, as it is now named—still provides great opportunity for young men of integrity and enthusiasm.

For such as these, it is, I firmly believe, "Just the Job".

Promotional text inside the dust cover:

Geoffrey Morton’s first experience of the police force was during the General Strike of 1926 when he became a Special Constable and conceived a great admiration for the capability and uprightness of the Metropolitan Police with whom he worked. This admiration led to his joining the Palestine Police, experiences in which form the major part of this book.

Not only did he have to deal with civil matters ranging from traffic offences and cruelty to animals, to murder, but he also served in the Holy Land during the years of terrorism and revolt; his personal record throws interesting sidelights on the history of our times, whether he speaks of such comparatively minor matters as the tactics he used during an arms round-up, or of the events that made headlines, such as the Yawl Street outrage and his campaign against the Stern Gang, which culminated in the death of its leader, Avraham Stern.

Eventually he had to see the wisdom of transferring from Palestine, where his life was in grave danger; and the story of his career as a Colonial Policeman is rounded off by accounts of his service in two very different parts of the world – in Trinidad, which he found to be a land of paradox, and in Nyasaland, where he found a backward, illiterate force in dire need of reorganisation.

Altogether, Just the Job is an absorbing real life story that gives a new appreciation of a career about which all too little has been written.

Promotional text from the back cover:

Geoffrey J Morton joined the Palestine Police in 1930. During the course of his service in the Holy Land, he was awarded the British Empire Medal in 1936, the Colonial Police Medal for Gallantry in 1938 (the first ever awarded), and the King’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 1942. He was mentioned in despatches in 1939.

In 1953, he gave up his career for family reasons.

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Just the Job (docx format)