VOLUNTEERS led by a Bolton theatre took part in a modern memorial to mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme.

The specially commissioned event saw about 1,400 voluntary participants dressed in First World War uniform appear unexpectedly in locations across the UK.

Octagon Theatre Bolton was one of 27 organisations which collaborated on the work, called ‘we’re here because we’re here’.

They were spotted in several locations including outside Bolton Library and in Crompton Place Shopping Centre.

Lucy Openshaw, aged 27, from Bromley Cross, posted a video online which has been viewed more than 17,000 times.

She said: "I saw them outside Primark and then outside the library and then they moved to Middlebrook.

"It was beautiful — really moving. The fact they couldn't talk as they were being walking ghosts but handing out cards with details of a fallen soldier who died on the first day of the Somme, it was very moving."

The participants who walked the streets on Friday were a reminder of the 19,240 men who were killed on 1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

They handed out cards to members of the public with the name and regiment of the soldier they represented, and, where known, the age of the soldier when he died on July 1, 1916.

The soldiers did not speak, but at points throughout the day would sing the song ‘we’re here because we’re here’, which was sung in the trenches during the First World War.

Commissioned by 14-18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary, the work was conceived and created by Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller in collaboration with Rufus Norris, Director of the National Theatre.

Elizabeth Newman, artistic director of Octagon Theatre Bolton, said: “It is an honour for the Octagon Theatre to have been involved in this incredible project.

"Jeremy Deller and Rufus Norris created a special and extraordinary way to remember those who fought in the Battle of the Somme and World War I.

"The performance has been experienced and interacted with across the UK, allowing them to engage and learn more about the Somme.

"It has been a moving experience for us all and it has allowed us to work with volunteers from the community and other arts organisations across the country in a very profound way.”