Haunting silhouette of British Tommy projected onto Rock of Gibraltar in moving tribute to mark 100th anniversary of Armistice

THE haunting silhouette of a British Tommy has been projected onto the Rock of Gibraltar ahead of the 100th Anniversary of the end of World War One.

Solemnly bowing his head in remembrance, the 1,000ft soldier is the largest image of its kind ever beamed onto the rock — which served as a vital naval base during the conflict.

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It comes ahead of November's landmark centenary of the signing of the Armistice — which brought to an end the Great War that saw 900,000 Brits make the ultimate sacrifice.

Fabian Picardo, Chief Minister of Gibraltar said: “Since the start of the 18th century, the Rock has been besieged on 14 occasions; the Corps of Royal Engineers was formed here and casualties from the Battle of Trafalgar are buried here.

“We lost local men in the trenches of the Somme during the First World War at a time when there were over 40 US Navy ships and 5,000 American naval personnel based here.

“Gibraltarians are all very aware of the sacrifices made by our forebears – both military and civilian."

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He added: "We live our lives surrounded by stark reminders of Britain’s military history and we honour those who sacrificed themselves to secure and protect our freedom.

“We will remember them.”

There But Not There — the campaign behind the poignant projection — has raised more than £2.5million for armed forces charities since February.

It was founded by former Chief of the General Staff Gen Lord Dannatt and collects vital funds through the sale of 6ft-tall Tommy statues for public spaces — or 10in perspex versions.

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More than 1,000 metal Tommy statues have now been placed across the country and the world — from London, Edinburgh and the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland to New York and now Gibraltar.

Money raised from their sale is spread between The Royal Foundation, Walking With The Wounded, Combat Stress, Help for Heroes, The Commonwealth War Graves Foundation and Project Equinox: Housing Veterans.

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Lord Dannatt served in the army for 40 years and also oversaw the moving poppy field memorial at the Tower of London in 2014.

Nearly 900,000 ceramic poppies were placed in the moat around the landmark — one for every Briton killed in the conflict.

He said: "The poppies at the Tower of London captured the start of the national WWI commemoration — There But Not There will be the abiding concluding image.

“In buying the Tommies and silhouettes, people are not only commemorating the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of British and Commonwealth soldiers, they are also supporting the heroes of today, with all profits going to charities supporting the armed forces community.”