WAR reporting is one of the most exciting and dangerous jobs in the world, and an exhibition from May 28 to January 2 looks in-depth at some of the century’s most celebrated war correspondents.

From the burqa that John Simpson wore to sneak into Afghanistan in 2001 and the bullet that deflected off a wall into Kate Adie’s leg in Lebanon, to the typewriter Michael Nicholson used to write his reports from Vietnam and one of Martin Bell’s trademark white suits, War Correspondent: Reporting Under Fire Since 1914, at the Imperial War Museum North, explores every angle of this most dramatic of professions.

Other reporters featured include Rageh Omaar, Jeremy Bowen and the late Brian Hanrahan, plus Second World War reporters Clare Hollingworth, Richard Dimbleby and Alan Moorehead, and inspirational pioneers of the trade from earlier conflicts like Philip Gibbs and Martha Gellhorn.

Personal possessions on display, such as uniforms, press passes, notebooks and letters, give a fascinating insight into the life of a war correspondent.

On display for the first time is the Reuters Land Rover hit by a rocket in Gaza in 2006.

Dramatic footage, audio recordings and photographs help bring the story of war reporting to life.The exhibition will also look at how correspondents’ lives have been shaped by war and at the future of war reporting.

Jim Forrester, Imperial War Museum North director, said: “The remarkable men and women featured in this exhibition have all brought momentous events and important stories into our lives and living rooms, often at considerable risk to themselves.

“The museum is proud to take an in-depth look at the personal stories behind gathering news under fire.”

* The War Correspondent: Reporting Under Fire Since 1914 exhibition runs at Imperial War Museum North in Trafford, Manchester, from Saturday. May 28 until Monday, January 2.