Cornwall’s England and Exeter Chiefs rugby star Jack Nowell has discovered that a family member was among the soldiers who fell on the first day of the battle of the Somme and who will be commemorated in a centenary project this summer.

At a special event, he crossed his own relative’s name off the list of the fallen, after symbolically reading his name out loud - both as Francis Nowell and by his family nickname of ‘Uncle Frank’.

The 19240 Shrouds of the Somme project aims to remember all 19,240 allied soldiers who died on July 1, 1916. The date, the most disastrous in the history of the British Army, came to symbolise the losses of the First World War.

Artist Rob Heard has created hand-stitched, shrouded figurines to represent every one of them and the installation will be unveiled on July 1.

Jack discovered that his great, great Uncle Frank was among them at a charity dinner at the Exeter Chiefs’ ground to raise money for the project.

His father, Newlyn trawlerman Mike Nowell, knew that Francis Nowell had fought and died at the Somme because the Nowell family visit the war memorial where he is listed every year.

What they didn’t know was that he was one of the 19,240 who died on the first day.

Only after checking the boards of lists which were brought to the dinner did they discover that Francis Nowell was one of the men who fought and died on the first day of the battle of the Somme.

Jack said: ’I know there is a memorial back in Newlyn that lists the name of my great, great uncle, but now hearing what happened during the battle and that one of my only relatives was involved, it really did bring it home to me what happened all those years ago.’

Francis Nowell served in the West Yorkshire Regiment and is one of the Somme fallen who has no known grave. He is commemorated in France on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the battlefields.

The 19240 Shrouds of the Somme project will be unveiled in Exeter’s Northernhay Gardens on July 1 this year at 7.30am. It not only aims to provide a powerful visual depiction of the vast loss of life

For more information visit the project website on www.thesomme19240.co.uk