The contractor is building the £500,000 memorial arch free-of-charge at Folkestone.

It will be erected over the route taken by 10 million British, Canadian, American, Australian and Asian troops between 1914 and 1918.

The coastal town in Kent was the main port of embarkation to and from the trenches of the Western Front.

Designers Foster Gearing plan to install wireless technology underneath the base so that at night black and white holograms of the men can be projected marching through the completed arch.

The objective is to bring events to life for today’s younger generation by mirroring the emotional atmosphere of the war years.

The “Step Short” project has the personal backing of Prime Minister, David Cameron and will be opened on August 4 2014 – the hundredth anniversary of the exact day that the war broke out.

Pat Boyle, Executive General Manger of Lend Lease’s Defence business in Europe, said: “The arch is a genuinely inspirational project which will stand as a fitting memorial to the fallen for generations to come and we are looking forward to delivering it.”