Haunting then-and-now images bring World War One back to life

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Great War which cost the lives of millions of soldiers and civilians and plunged the world into darkness.

Now there are no veterans left alive to share the story of the First World War, but these haunting images bring to life the reality of the world-wide conflict.

Photographer Peter Macdiarmid visited key locations of the war in Europe and overlaid his pictures with archive images.

The pictures show historical images of towns and cities in Europe gutted by fierce fighting - but the present day colour images do not convey the location's terrible past.

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During the war, houses and buildings that had stood for years were destroyed by bombardments and kilometers-long trenches transformed the landscape.

The town hall of Vareddes, France, is transported back 100 years with the black-and-white image of German troops resting on the steps and on chairs during the first battle of the Marne in 1914.

The battle was an Allied victory - but half a million men were either killed or wounded on both sides over just seven days.

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But perhaps more distressing is this image of Trafalgar Square in London with young street urchins dressed as soldiers standing to attention in front of a sign that reads: 'The Need For Fighting Men Is Urgent' in November 1914.

Almost one million British soldiers who were called up to fight or volunteered were killed during the four-year conflict, and a staggering nine million perished overall.