Commuters reduced to tears as actors dressed in WW1 uniform line up at stations to commemorate 100th anniversary of the Somme
The imitation soldiers handed out cards carrying the names of some of the 19,000 Brits who died in the bloody 1916 battle
Commuters up and down the country had an emotional journey to work today as silent 'ghost soldiers' appeared at railway stations to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the Battle of the Somme.
The one-off, large-scale theatre project involved imitation soldiers handing out cards bearing the names and details of the 19,240 Brits who were killed in the First World War battle.
Members of the public were moved to tears as masses of young men in First World War uniforms marked the 100th anniversary of the start of the battle.
The silent 'soldiers' sang renditions of We're Here Because We're Here, the anthem sung by service men in the trenches during the conflict.
The tune, which is sung to the tune of Auld Lang Syne, repeats its title several times, reflecting the monotony felt by the young soldiers at the time.
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The powerful scenes were to commemorate the tragic first day of the Battle of the Somme, July 1 1916, when the death toll of British soldiers reached 19,240.
Pictures of the moving tribute were soon sweeping social media, along with the hashtag #wearehere.
Many who observed the scenes said those behind it deserved a 'medal' for their efforts.
Nicola Oakley wrote: "Don't know who came up with #wearehere but you are amazing.
"What a moving tribute.
"Puts everything into perspective."
Joe Blythe, who posted a video of the singing from Waterloo station wrote: "Quite a thing to catch on a morning commute #wearehere."
And Maria Major added: "#wearehere A sobering and beautiful reminder of real sacrifice and integrity on my feed today."
It was later revealed the memorial scenes were organised by the National Theatre, who had created the tribute under the name Project Octagon to keep it a surprise.
They chose sites for the moving performance in dozens of cities across the country including London, Bristol, Swansea, Newcastle, Salisbury and Aberdeen.
More than 400 amateur actors, students, and university undergraduates took part in London alone after attending several rehearsals despite being kept in the dark about their final performance.
Many other tributes were made across the UK today including a two-minute silence ending at 7.30am.
The Royal Horse Artillery marked the occasion with a 100 second gun salute to pay tribute to the fallen on all sides.