To mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day (8 May 1945), Manx National Heritage will open a new exhibition at the House of Manannan in Peel. Leonard McCombe – Through the Lens of War examines the work of an Island-born photographer whose work took him to Europe in the final months of the conflict.
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.
In these war-ravaged countries, McCombe’s particular talent was to capture people. Always seeming to be in the right place at the right time, McCombe was among the first of what would be termed photojournalists. 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 Leonard’s death, his family began sorting through and scanning his many negatives. Exhibitions in Europe and New York followed, before a tie up between Isle of Man Post Office and Manx National Heritage resulted in a joint exhibition and stamp issue on the Island.
MNH Curator of Art & 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 seems 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.
“Leonard had a real eye for what would make a great photo. Yet one of the consequences of his career as a photojournalist taking off, as it did after the war, is that he is perhaps not as well known in his native isle as he should be. I hope that this exhibition and the IOM Post stamp issue will bring his work – and his name – to the attention of a new audience. The images that we have selected for our exhibition are also a perhaps timely reminder of the human consequences of war and make for sobering viewing as we approach the 80th anniversary of the ending of the Second World War in Europe.”
McCombe’s son, Clark, said: “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 8th May to 5th October. Admission is free but donations are welcome.
ENDS
Isle of Man Registered Charity No 603
Media contact:
James Davis
T: 01624 620440
Images:
- Leonard McCombe, self portrait b. 1923 – d. 2015 (image courtesy of McCombe family)
- Displaced German civilians who have been forced out of Silesia, Berlin, 1945 (image courtesy of McCombe family)