Men dressed as First World War soldiers turned up unannounced in towns and train stations across Britain yesterday to mark 100 years since the start of the Battle of the Somme.

Travelling by train and the London Underground, the imitation soldiers surprised onlookers by stopping to pose and sing wartime songs in cities including London, Belfast, Sheffield, Manchester and Glasgow.

When not singing, the men remained silent, handing out cards with names of those who had died to members of the public. The cards contained the age, regiment, and date on which the Somme servicemen died and the battalions they served in.