A RIBBLE Valley war hero badly injured in Afghanistan is the face of a new exhibition by rock star-turned-photgrapher Bryan Adams.

Soldier Rick Clement was chosen to be the cover star of the Big Issue magazine this week in the run-up to the Summer of '69 singer's Wounded: The Legacy of War exhibit in London.

Sgt Clement, who lost both legs when he stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) in Helmand in 2010, posed for a photoshoot for the Canadian singer and was featured in his book, with the same title, released last year.

It is those powerful images that will be shown off to the public at Somerset House, a major arts and cultural centre at the heart of the capital, from Wednesday. (((12)))

Sgt Clement, who used to live in Chatburn, said: "The pictures were taken around 18 months ago. I went down to Bryan Adams' house in London. He or one of his team saw something about my story in the news and he asked them to get in touch with me.

"He was brilliant, really down to earth and easy to get along with. He made sure I was comfortable."

He continued: "The exhibition will show the pictures from the book, and they might make some people uncomfortable but it shows the brutality of war."

Tweeting a picture of Sgt Clement to his 1.7 million followers yesterday was astronaut Chris Hadfield, who rocketed to global fame after tweeting his experience of life on the International Space Station.

He wrote: "A compelling photo by @bryanadams. Honour the brave among us. Wear a poppy. Thank a veteran."

Mr Adams said: "The human cost of conflict is a narrative which, like many of us, feels personal to me. My grandfathers and father were in the British Army, so the act of remembrance – both for the fallen and the wounded – was instilled into me from a young age and it’s a theme I’ve previously touched upon in my music.

“When we first discussed the idea of this project five years ago, I always envisaged it as an exhibition so I’m thrilled it’s finally come full circle and it’s going to be exhibited at the prestigious Somerset House.”

The book will be available to buy at the free exhibition, which will show off snaps of several injured British soldiers, for £50. Proceeds will go to veteran support charities BLESMA, Blind Veterans UK, Combat Street and SSAFA, and War Child.

It features images of 40 veterans taken by Adams, accompanied by each soldier's personal story.