The Isle of Man Post Office has announced the release of its latest stamp collection, Through the Lens of Leonard McCombe, celebrating 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.
The stamp collection will be issued on 8 May 2025, to coincide with Manx National Heritage’s exhibition at the House of Manannan – Leonard McCombe: Through the Lens of War – which runs from 8 May until 25 October 2025, studying the 80th anniversary of VE Day through Leonard’s harrowing war photography.
Maxine Cannon, General Manager Stamps & Coins for Isle of Man Post Office, said: ‘We are grateful to Leonard’s son, Clark McCombe, and his wife, Dr Beverly McCombe, for their insight and assistance in producing this beautiful collection. By preserving and sharing Leonard’s photography portfolio, his work can be studied and appreciated by future generations. What is remarkable is that, in his later years, Leonard spent most of his time farming and his treasure trove of scrapbooks, writings, negatives, prints and books lay forgotten in his study. Many of the images used for the stamp issue have never been seen or published since the rolls of film were developed several decades ago.’
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.
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 – images of great historical importance, providing a rare insight into the camp which played a key part in the Island’s World War II story.
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.
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.
Clark and Beverly have worked closely with Isle of Man Post Office and Manx National Heritage to develop the stamp issue and the exhibition. Clark said: ‘We are thrilled to share some of my father's work. It was in the last few years of his life that he began to open up and talk about his humble beginnings on the Isle of Man and, later, his travels around the world. Early in his career, he created insightful photo essays of the American Cowboy and the American Navajo Nation. Spanning five decades, his work captured the images, emotions and history of a world recovering from World War II. He photographed Churchill, Truman, the Kennedys, Hollywood, and the Apollo Moon Launch. But I knew him as Daddy, who insisted I practice the piano.’
Matthew Richardson, Curator of Social History at Manx National Heritage, said: ‘It is unusual in this era to uncover a completely forgotten archive. 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 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 photograph. 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 this exhibition and stamp issue will bring his work – and his name – to the attention of a new audience.’
