LITTLE pieces of Darwen knowhow is being installed in church and public places across the UK to honour the fallen of the First World War.

Poignant silhouettes of the 700,000 or more Tommies who gave their lives in the conflict have been created from an original idea by artist Martin Barraud.

And the majority of the outline figures, part of the There But Not There campaign, are made from Perspex Clear acrylic, made at their plant off Blackburn Road.

Some of the first silhouettes in Lancashire were placed in pews at St John the Evangelist Church in Accrington, which plays host to the Pals chapel, in memory of the hundreds of East Lancashire troops who lost their lives at the Somme and in other battles.

A Perspex spokesman said: “This summer, thousands of ‘ghost soldiers’ appeared in communities and businesses across the UK in a touching memorial to the fallen soldiers of World War One, aiming to raise £15 million to help present day veterans.

“Many of the silhouettes were made from Perspex Clear acrylic, with a number also being made from aluminium or steel.

“In less than a week, sales of the sculptures surpassed £1.3 million, as individuals and community groups rushed to place orders.”

Several other locations in East Lancashire are involved in the scheme, including Whalley, where ‘soldiers’ have even been placed in people’s front gardens as part of remembrance efforts there.

The initiative has its roots in an art installation first unveiled by Barraud, who is also a photographer, at Penshurst Church in Kent in 2016.

He unveiled 51 such outlines and the idea was then taken on as the platform for a major fundraisers for services charities. The work has been supported by Royal British Legion Industries.

Among the charities to benefit will be The Royal Foundation’s Armed Forces Programmes, The Commonwealth War Graves Foundation, Walking With The Wounded, Combat Stress, Help for Heroes and Project Equinox, a sheltered housing scheme for veterans.