The works of a Manx war photographer are now being showcased in a new exhibition in Peel.

To mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Manx National Heritage has opened a new exhibition at the House of Manannan titled ‘Leonard McCombe: Through the Lens of War’.

The exhibition examines the work of McCombe, an island-born photographer whose work took him to Europe in the final months of World War Two.

As well as documenting scenes on the battlefields of Europe, alongside household names such as the BBC’s Richard Dimbleby, McCombe travelled first to Germany and then on to Poland as VE Day brought the fighting to a close.

While capturing the conflict, McCombe’s specialty was in picturing the people involved.

He was among the first of what would eventually be termed as ‘photojournalists’.

A spokesperson from Manx National Heritage commented: ‘Rather than merely capturing scenes to support the text of a writer, McCombe’s work was strong enough to stand on its own.

‘Indeed, it was good enough to get him a job offer from Life, then one of the world’s best-selling magazines.

‘He left for the United States, never to return, and for the remainder of his career captured life as it was changing fast.

‘Intriguingly, his work documenting one of the last ranches still using cowboys on horseback led to the “Marlboro Man” advertising campaign.’

A few years before McCombe’s death, his family began sorting through and scanning his many negatives.

Exhibitions in Europe and New York followed, before a collaboration between the Isle of Man Post Office and Manx National Heritage has now resulted in a joint exhibition and stamp issue in the island.

Manx National Heritage’s curator of art and social history, Matthew Richardson, commented: ‘Working on the exhibition Leonard McCombe: Through the Lens of War has been both exciting and rewarding for me.

‘It is unusual in this era to uncover a completely forgotten archive but that is what the McCombe family appear to have done.

‘Leonard was a man who did not court publicity, indeed in his later years he seemed to have actively avoided it, but in rediscovering his treasure trove of negatives and bringing them to a wider audience, Clark and Beverly McCombe have done those of us with an interest in the Second World War a great service.

McCombe’s son, Clark, added: ‘It has been a humbling experience to appreciate my father in a different light.

‘My wife Beverly urged me to record my father in his final years and her hard work in archiving his photos and scrapbooks has made this exhibition possible.

‘Until then, Dad had rarely spoke of himself, his experience in the war, or his career as a Life photographer, but he modestly kept negatives and prints tucked away in the farmhouse attic.

‘Thanks to the perseverance of Maxine Cannon at the Post Office, along with Beverly’s meticulous documentation and attention to detail, we are able to share a remarkable insight to a difficult point in history 80 years ago.’

The exhibition runs from May 8 until October 5.