London will mark the 110th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme with a unique tribute, projecting images of five fallen heroes onto the Palace of Westminster. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) and the Speaker of the House of Commons have collaborated on the display, which will illuminate Big Ben after dusk on Remembrance Sunday.

The battle, which took place in France, resulted in over 400,000 British casualties, with 19,240 killed on the first day alone.

The projected images will include Company Sergeant Major Edward ‘Dick’ Thomas, a former police sergeant and rugby player for Wales, who was killed at Mametz Wood on July 7, 1916, and whose body was never found. Lieutenant Eric Milroy, another former rugby international, who died on July 18, 1916, during the attack on Delville Wood, will also be honored. Milroy's mother famously left a light on for him each night, hoping he might find his way home.

Representing civilian nurses who served, VAD nurse Barbara St John will be featured. She died in October 1916 from scarlet fever while running a surgical ward at Etaples. Captain James Davidson, who was killed commanding machine guns for the Ulster Division's 108th Brigade weeks after announcing his engagement, will represent Northern Ireland.

England will be represented by Lieutenant The Hon Vere Harmsworth, who was 21 when he died leading his men in the final stages of the Somme offensive at the Battle of Ancre in November 1916. The son of the first Viscount Rothermere, publisher of the Daily Mail, Harmsworth had a notable war, escaping internment in Germany and fighting at Gallipoli before rejoining his unit for the Ancre offensive. His commanding officer noted that Harmsworth rallied his men and led the attack on a third German line after being wounded twice, before being killed by a shell.

Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, highlighted the profound impact of the Somme across the United Kingdom, stating, "We cannot imagine the grief and suffering that was experienced by local communities... to lose so many men in one battle." The CWGC maintains graves and memorials from all campaigns since 1914, with its charitable foundation supporting educational initiatives like the "For Evermore" display.