FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Melbourne, Australia. 31st January 2014.
With the centenaries of the start of World War I in 2014 and the landing at Gallipoli in 2015 and the 75th Anniversary of the Second World War next year, the release of Ian Minchin’s first novel – Brothers in Arms – is timely. The biography of an Australian family with two generations of brothers in two world wars is told with openness and humour whilst capturing the horrors and futility of war and the struggles of the families left behind.
Brian Minchin 89 years old, a bomber pilot in World War II and a key subject in the book who lives in Perth attended the launch in Melbourne, along with other WWII war veterans and 110 others to celebrate at the RACV City Club.
Allan and Hugh, the first generation of brothers, join the armed forces with Hugh embroiled in the war at Gallipoli and on the Western Front, and Allan in the Navy at home, placing the brothers in contrasting circumstances. On Hugh’s return as a badly damaged man, the brothers are at odds, battling over a joint farm venture during the boom in Australia’s agriculture. Hugh marries his childhood sweetheart, Iris, and they produce five sons.
World War II calls the second generation to battle, with Ron and Brian fighting in the air over Europe while Bill takes to the sea. The two younger brothers, Ross and author Ian, oblivious to the horrors of war, enjoy unbridled freedom at home.
As the son of a Gallipoli veteran, Ian Minchin was inspired to write his book following a visit to Gallipoli and hearing the stories of his eldest brothers in World War II. Brothers in Arms brings together historical fact and the families’ experiences in a moving, and humorous expose on the defining moments of Australia’s progress and its changing cultural mores.
Ian at 74 years of age has taken on the gargantuan task of self-publishing and has brought to life the story of a lifestyle that is all but a memory. The book is peppered with humour, is informative and for younger generations, educational.
The book can be purchased through the many bookshops in Australia listed on the website and is available internationally through Amazon and Kindle and Australia-wide from the website in both print and digital download.
Contact: Ian Minchin 
Phone: (03) 98274073
Mobile: 0417566683
Website: www.ianminchin.com
Email: info@ianminchin.com
Facebook: Ian H Minchin