Commuters at Glasgow’s Central Station today joined in a nationwide two minute silence to pay tribute to those who lost their lives at the Battle of the Somme 100 years ago.

A video was to be played ahead of the silence at 7:28am on the big screen in Glasgow city centre and Glasgow airport.

It was one of the deadliest battles of the First World War and will be marked with tributes both in Britain and France.

It began 100 years ago at 7.30am, lasted for 141 days and led to more than one million casualties on all sides.

Read more: Remembering the young, idealistic Glasgow boys who fought in unity on the Somme battlefield

A period of commemoration began with an evening service at London’s Westminster Abbey last night attended by the Queen, followed by an overnight vigil at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior.

An overnight vigil was also staged in Edinburgh at Scotland’s National War memorial.

The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme battlefields in France, which bears the names of 72,194 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces, will stage a special commemorative service. The service will use hymns, readings and music reflecting the cultural and military impact of the site to help tell the story of the Somme.

A Home Front and military parade will take pride of place at a national commemoration in Manchester. There will also be a wreath-laying Cenotaph Service, a service at Manchester Cathedral and an evening concert at Heaton Park.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will attend the French commemorative event with Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande.

They will be joined by heads of state and representatives from the nations who fought in the battle, as well as French, British and Irish schoolchildren, descendants of those who fought and members of the public.

The UK and French governments, along with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Westminster Abbey, the Royal British Legion and Manchester

City Council have all worked together to help host these key events in Britain and France.

Mr Cameron said: “Today is a chance to reflect on the sacrifice not just of the thousands of British and Commonwealth troops who gave their lives, but of the men on all sides who did not return home.

“It is an opportunity to think about the impact of the devastation felt by communities across all of the nations involved, which left mothers without sons, wives without husbands and children without fathers.

“The young men who left our shores believed in the cause for which they fought and we honour their memory.

“But today is also a chance to stand as friends with the representatives of all the countries who are here today. This event and the Thiepval monument itself bear testament to a solemn pledge - those who died here will never be forgotten.”