A former journalist who worked on newspapers for more than half a century has released an e-book telling the true story of a family’s struggle during the Vietnam War.

Former sub and news editor Ian Manning’s new novel, Escape from Vietnam, is set in 1967 and follows one family’s journey to freedom as the war rages.

Ian retired in 2010 from Northcliffe’s old Centre of Excellence in Nottingham where he worked as a sub on the Nottingham Post, Derby Telegraph and Leicester Mercury.

Before that he worked as chief sub-editor of the Western Daily Press and of the Nottingham Evening Post, features editor of the Guardian Journal, a news editor in Norwich and northern correspondent for the Mirror Group.

Escape from Vietnam begins as a US-bomber swoops low over her village – and over the next eight years she escapes numerous bomb attacks, the superstitions of fish-god worshipping villagers, and a refugee camp, plus other near-death experiences.

Ian told HTFP that he first heard the story as the family were friends of his wife, and he conducted a series of interviews with all members of the family featured in the book.

“Although I have been on the production side of journalism for most of my career, I have always been keen on writing. I had a weekly column on the Nottingham Evening Post for eight years and wrote a pop column in the Eastern Evening News when I was a news editor in Norwich,” he said.

“I loved working on newspapers but always vowed that when I got time I would write novels. In fact I started my latest novel, The Coal Town Conquests, 30 years ago and I am just finishing it off.

“Working on newspapers is very demanding and I always felt drained after a hard day’s work so my own writing went on the backburner. Now I have the time to write.”

Ian has also written books about his local area, including Images of Nottingham, Images of Nottinghamshire, 700 Years of Goose Fair and Nottingham At War.

Escape from Vietnam, available from Amazon for £2.93, tells the story of the early life of three-year-old Huong Yang who lives on Cat Ba Island during the war.

The front cover of former sub Ian Manning's new e-book, Escape from Vietnam