A man who played a key role in evacuating British citizens from Beirut last year is now living in Much Marcle and celebrating formal recognition as a photographer.

A career with the Foreign Office led to a developing love of photography for Chris Poole, who was deputy ambassador in Beirut when the Israeli forces attacked in 2006.

He said: "Our daughter Bridget was staying with us at the time and 24 hours after her arrival, the Israelis cratered the airport runway."

While his wife Lynne sailed on HMS Gloucester, Mr Poole remained behind to help organise further evacuations, before making his own escape overland through Syria and into Turkey, the route also taken by his daughter.

He is no stranger to conflict and has developed a keen eye for photographic opportunities.

He was deputy ambassador in Zagreb, Croatia, during the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s.

He said: "I hesitate to say I photograph conflicts, but the images I take happen to be in places where there are conflicts."

One of Mr Poole's favourite images is of a ship that washed up on an Albanian beach during disturbances which followed the fall of Communism. Mr Poole said he did not know what had happened to the ship, but he took the photograph because it was a remarkable image.

Mr Poole, aged 60, hopes to remain in Much Marcle and continue his photographic career.

He has just been awarded licentiateship of the Royal Photographic Society and images taken by himself and his wife Lynne will be on show at the Blue Ginger Gallery in Cradley tomorrow (Saturday) from 6pm to 8pm.

He is also currently working on a series of local images called Herefordshire Landscapes.