As the United Kingdom prepares to commemorate Remembrance Sunday, Big Ben will be illuminated with images of five heroes who died during the Battle of the Somme, marking the 110th anniversary of the devastating conflict.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) has collaborated with the Speaker of the House of Commons for this unique tribute, projecting photographs of fallen soldiers onto the Palace of Westminster after dusk.

The Battle of the Somme, which took place in France, resulted in over 400,000 British casualties, with 19,240 killed on the first day alone. The display aims to honor the memory of individuals from across the UK who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Among those to be featured is Company Sergeant Major Edward ‘Dick’ Thomas of the 16th Battalion Welsh Regiment. A police sergeant and former rugby international, he was killed on July 7, 1916, at Mametz Wood, and his body was never found. His name is inscribed on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing.

Lieutenant Eric Milroy, another former rugby international representing Scotland, died on July 18, 1916, during the attack on Delville Wood. He was also lost without a known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.

Representing Northern Ireland is Captain James Davidson, who was killed while commanding machine guns for the Ulster Division’s 108th Brigade just weeks after announcing his engagement.

VAD (voluntary civilian) nurse Barbara St John, who ran a surgical ward at Etaples, will also be honored. She contracted scarlet fever and died in October 1916.

For England, the display will include 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 distinguished but brief military career, having escaped internment in Germany and fought at Gallipoli.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, emphasized the profound impact of the Somme on communities throughout the UK. "We cannot imagine the grief and suffering that was experienced by local communities, including in my own, to lose so many men in one battle," he stated.

The CWGC maintains war graves and memorials from all campaigns since 1914, and its foundation supports educational initiatives like the "For Evermore" display. "Behind every name we care for was a life that mattered and still matters," said CWGC director Claire Horton.