THE work of a Bala chemist is set to be displayed by the Imperial War Museum.

The surprising story of HW Lloyd, a photographer who capture about 500 images of First World War prisoners of war at the Frongoch camp north of the town will be exhibited online from today (Wednesday) on Lambeth museum's website.

It is the latest among 100 daily stories and poems with which the museum is marking the centenary of the final days of the First World War.

To mark the occasion, David Mathews, a writer born in Cardiff and living in Bath, has turned the little-known episode into a 100-word tribute to Mr Lloyd.

Mr Matthews said: "Even for a short story writer,100 words is a tight brief. Every word has to earn its place.

"But it’s an honour to do it for a man who came to life as I researched him.

"All I had when I started were the National Library’s images on-line and what Will Troughton, the photography curator, knew of Lloyd.

"Now I know more, but that just means I have a dozen further questions.

"More than anything, I would like to find the names of some of these soldiers and sailors, and trace their grandchildren and great-grandchildren in Germany or Alsace or Poland."

Born in Bala, and trained in Liverpool, Mr Lloyd ran his pharmacy in Bala High Street from the late 1890s until his death in 1942.

A keen photographer and staunch Calvinistic Methodist, he took family photographs and recorded chapel life.

In late 1915 and early 1916 the photographer's eye caught a new subject at the defunct Royal Welsh Whisky distillery - which later became famous as an internment camp following the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland - in the shape of the mostly German prisoners, recording them and their entertainments.

More than 400 of Lloyd’s glass negatives were given to the National Library of Wales by Kate, Mr Lloyd’s widow.

The photos are believed to have been used as postcards for the men to send home to their families.

Mr Matthews added: "Goodness knows who roped him in to photograph the German prisoners when they came to Frongoch, but they look relaxed enough with him in their portraits.

"My best guess is the camp doctor, Dr Peters."

To discover Mr Lloyd’s story through his work, visit iwm.org.uk from from Wednesday, November 7.

Negatives are also on display at library.wales and Mr Matthews' short story can be found on 1914.org.