THE great-great-nephew of a Victoria Cross winner who gave his life during the First World War has been presented with a commemorative poppy bearing his brave relative’s name.

Gordon Pidsley and daughter Emma Gudgeon spotted the name of his great-great-uncle, Able Seaman William Williams, on one of the centenary poppies displayed by Chepstow and District Round Table to mark the 100th anniversary of the Armistice.

AS Williams died in the arms of his commanding officer on the first day of the Battle of Gallipoli on April 25, 1915, and the submarine gun which stands next to Chepstow’s cenotaph was presented to the town by King George V in his honour.

When Gordon asked if he could have the poppy to remember his relative by, Round Table chairman Simon Hicks was only to happy to present him with the framed tribute.

Each of the 84 men from Chepstow who gave their lives during the First World War was remembered by a poppy as part of the town centre display.

Simon Hicks said: “The men of Chepstow gave their lives for our country during the war.

“Round Table is an organisation for young men and those who did not return were just like us. This makes commemorating their sacrifice all the more important to us.

“Given this year marks 100 years since the end of hostilities in the First World War we wanted to do something special.

“It was fantastic that Gordon spotted the name of his great-great-uncle. He asked if he could have the poppy and we were only too delighted to present him with it.”

As well as Rememberance Day, the town honours its VC winner and those who fell at Gallipoli with a service at the war memorial every Anzac Day (April 25).

At this years’s service, Gordon, from Chepstow, and daughter Emma paid tribute to “a brave man who sacrificed his life for others.”

Mr Pidsley said: “For one hour every year, we come here to think about what people like AS Williams and his generation did for the rest of us.

“If he and his fellow servicemen hadn’t done that in the two World Wars, we wouldn’t have the freedom we enjoy today. We live in relative luxury now, and the young need to understand what was done by men like William to protect their freedom.

“The submarine gun was donated to the town in his honour by George V, and to be part of his family, it fills me with great pride to stand here today remembering his bravery.

“One of my oldest memories from when I was a young child was my mum showing me his name on the cenotaph, and we want to pass down what he did.”

AS Williams’ commanding officer described the 34-year-old as the “bravest sailor he had ever met” after he braved gun fire by diving into the water to help troops ashore before being killed by a shell.

He stood chest deep in the sea alongside the commander of the HMS River Clyde, Captain Edward Unwin, and two other sailors as men died all around them, holding a rope to keep the drifting lighters together as two battalions tried to disembark at Gallipoli’s V beach.

The sailor later became one of only 39 people to receive the VC in the Gallipoli campaign, which saw 100,000 Allied lives lost.