A GHOSTLY glass figure of a First World War infantryman or 'Tommy' is now in place in a chapel dedicated to the Accrington Pals.

The life-size silhouette of the soldier now stand guard the Accrington Pals’ Chapel at St. John the Evangelist Church in the town.

The six-foot high figure of the ‘Tommy’, one of only a few in Lancashire, is part of the ‘There But Not There’ campaign, a nationwide art installation to raise funds for military charities.

Two smaller ‘Tommy’ silhouettes have been placed on a bench at St John’s and another at St James’s Church in Accrington.

The campaign is the brainchild of Martin Barraud, who has given every one of the Tommies the name of a real soldier and hopes to have sold a glass figure to represent every one of the 883,246 men from Britain and Ireland who died.

Cllr Miles Parkinson, Leader of Hyndburn Council, said; “The history of the town is interwoven with that of the Accrington Pals and we are really pleased that the Pals Chapel at St John’s has been chosen to host the ‘Tommy’ figure.

"It’s extremely poignant to see this striking six foot ‘Tommy’ silhouette in the Pals Chapel, commemorating the close of the First World War and highlighting the bravery and ultimate sacrifice of all those who fell during the conflict."

Of the 700 men of the Accrington Pals battalion raised in the town and surrounding area who went into action on the first Day of the Battle of the Somme on July 1 1916, 235 were killed and 350 wounded.