Through the Lens of Leonard McCombe Stamps

The Isle of Man Post Office has announced its latest stamp collection, Through the Lens of Leonard McCombe.

The stamp collection celebrates the life and work of one of the Isle of Man’s most renowned photographers.

The eight stamps in the collection feature aspects of Leonard’s career, including his early days in the Isle of Man, his time as a war photographer covering the Allied advance in World War II, and his life and work in the USA post-1945.

Leonard McCombe

The stamp collection will be issued on May 8, to coincide with Manx National Heritage’s exhibition at the House of Manannan – Leonard McCombe: Through the Lens of War.

It runs from May 8 until October 25, studying the 80^th anniversary of VE Day through Leonard’s harrowing war photography.

Born in the Isle of Man in 1923, Leonard grew up in Port Erin and had to drop out of school after contracting scarlet fever aged 14.

While recovering, he took up painting and then photography, selling pictures of a local fire to the London Daily Express aged 16.

Photographs

His photographs offer a fascinating view of Manx life in the 1930s and 1940s, with recently unearthed photographs documenting life in the Rushen Internment Camp, the only female camp in Europe.

Leonard became a Junior Member of the Royal Photographic Society in 1941, an Associate two years later, and a Fellow by 1944.

Between 1943 and 1945, he moved to England, where he was employed by Picture Post to cover the Allied advance across Europe.

After World War II, he moved to the USA and worked for Life magazine until it closed in 1972.

Journey to IOM

By 1961, Leonard had married and had bought a farm on eastern Long Island, which he described as ‘making a journey back to the Isle of Man’.

His wife, Gertrude, was diagnosed with cancer late in 2014 and while looking after her, Leonard fell ill. He died in 2015, with Gertrude passing away three years later.

The Gertrude and Leonard McCombe Foundation, focusing on cancer wellness during treatment, was founded in their memory in 2019.