A RENOWNED press photographer who snapped the Beatles and covered huge cases including the Moors murders and Yorkshire Ripper has died.

Peter Price, who lived in Chester and North Wales, passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 11, after suffering with dementia since 2013. He was 86.

Son Andrew – himself a respected press photographer – told the Standard his dad had heaps of fascinating stories and wanted to share a few as a tribute to him.

Peter began his career at the tender age of 14 in the dark rooms at the Daily Sketch in Manchester.

“He pestered the picture editor to send him out to take snaps and one day he got his chance,” said Andrew.

“The Queen Mother was coming to town and he was told to stand on the corner outside Victoria Station. In those days it was one picture and that was it, glass plate negative in the camera with a huge flash on the side, no motor drive and no second chance.

“He stood on the corner as he was asked to and as the Queen Mother’s car came round he took the picture, then ran back to the office and was one of the first snappers back to the darkrooms. He presented the picture editor with the snap after developing it and it made page one the next day!

“That was the day dad made the grade to become a press photographer.”

Chester and District Standard:

Peter Price photographed in the 1960s after he moved from Manchester to Chester.

Peter took photos of the Beatles at Liverpool’s Cavern Club as well as the Manchester United football team, known as the Busby Babes, before the Munich air disaster.

He worked for the Daily Mail in Manchester, the Sunday Mirror in Manchester and London and in Ireland during the troubles for a short time.

He was friends with Donald Campbell, the British speed record breaker, who smashed eight world records on water and land in the 1950s and 1960s.

Andrew added: “Donald remains the only person to set both world land and water speed records in the same year. My dad followed him to the Lake District to capture the historic event when Donald was sadly killed while trying to break his own 276mph water speed record.”

Peter also had good contacts with the circus and became friends with Ernie Stevenson, the famous Noe Noe the Clown, who toured the country.

Andrew continued: “I remember dad telling me a story about him trying to photograph a nice lady who had just won Miss England or something.

“He wanted to photograph her with a lion in the circus and the lion tamer said they would be fine inside the cage. My dad said he stayed on the outside and as soon as Miss England entered the cage the lion pounced on her and pinned her to the floor!

“My dad said he was snapping away as quickly as he could as the lion tamer tried to pull the lion off her. Thankfully Miss England came away without any injuries and when asked what had happened the lion tamer said it must have been the perfume she was wearing! Needless to say, dad had a great picture and it made page one the next day!”

Peter freelanced for all the national newspapers and magazines and in the late 1970s and early 1980s had a contract covering Liverpool and Everton football clubs for the News of The World.

Each Saturday after the game he would drive back along the East Lancs road into Manchester before running into Thomson House - now the Print Works - to develop, print, caption and wire his snaps to London for the Sunday edition.

He started to do some TV work for BBC and Granada, then set up MidPix in Stafford and took a contract with Central TV in Birmingham.

Peter later returned to Chester where he helped Andrew set up View Finder Pictures in 1989, which his son still runs.

He hung his camera up 20 years ago and moved to live in North Wales but continued to consult in Andrew’s business for many years.

"He had some great tales to tell," said Andrew. "I just wish he'd put them all down on paper."