"THIS is the truth as far as we're concerned," Gerry Armstrong says of his heart-wrenching new memoir which focusses on the murder of his brother Paul by the UVF.
'A Young Life Stolen' is an autobiographical account of growing up in Ligoniel during the conflict – school, work, friends, and everything in between. It also carries a small collection of Gerry's poetry. But first and foremost it is the story of 18-year-old Paul Armstrong, who was abducted, tortured and murdered by the UVF on 8 November 1974.
The book is, in some ways, the end of a journey for Gerry. For 25 years, he explains, his family "never really spoke about our brother Paul", with his mother going "to her grave without ever really mentioning his name".
He would spend the next 20 years speaking about Paul at "every opportunity". Although never fond of being labelled a victims' campaigner, Gerry is known to many for his ability to speak out on behalf of victims, but says the book is his "final" word on his brother.
"About three years ago I decided to write the book because I'm getting older without seeing truth or justice," he says.
I think I wrote the book out of frustration too. We'll never get truth and justice. It's not going to happen. I have to be a realist about it. This is for me and my family. This is the truth as far as we're concerned.
"This is Paul's legacy – this is it for me. I can't speak about Paul no more. I'm nearly 67 and it is hard. I thought I would go down the storytelling route, so I've put it all down and I've told the story as best as I can from a family perspective.
"I've always been clear that I don't want my brother to be used as a political weapon or for whataboutery, but I've been annoyed over the years when I lift the paper and read UVF this and UVF that' – people need to know the real story from a family perspective."
He continued:"It's the final chapter for me because I haven't got the strength to speak any more.
"I thought if I put it all out there and people read it then they'll get where I'm coming from. Over the years people have told me to draw a line under it and get on with it, so this is me getting on with it."
He added: "I just want Paul Armstrong's story to be told."
Although truth carries such value to the the bereaved who are denied it, the book comes with an undoubtedly painful admission that the Armstrong family will "never" find it.
"My family have been let down by a lot of people over the years; Police Ombudsman, police and law enforcement, politicians – I've met them all," he reveals.
"I think I wrote the book out of frustration too. We'll never get truth and justice. It's not going to happen. I have to be a realist about it. This is for me and my family. This is the truth as far as we're concerned.
"I want Paul's legacy to be a true legacy – not a statistic in a conflict."
'A Young Life Stolen – A memoir of growing up in war-torn', which was produced in conjunction with Relatives for Justice (RFJ), will be launched at 1pm this Saturday at Groves-Reilly Corner at the bottom of the Glen Road.
"RFJ have helped me immensely over the years, in a number of different ways," Gerry concludes.
"I want them to know how appreciative our family are for what they've done."
