Remembrance Day: Acclaimed poet unveils poignant and 'powerful' new poem at Fort Widley, Portsmouth

Nikita Gill unveiled her poem ‘Who You Are’ at the former bunker Fort Widley. A commemorative film was played alongside the piece, which was inspired by real-life stories told in wartime records.

Poignant stories told in the verses include that of Khudadad Khan. He was the first Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest military award for gallantry in the face of the enemy, given to Commonwealth and British forces.

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The soldier continued working at his machine gun in Hollebeke, Belgium, on October 31, 1914, when all other military personnel at his section had been killed or wounded. He later crawled back to his company for medical aid.

Soldiers in the Indian Army became eligible for the Victoria Cross in 1911. The honour replaced the Indian Order of Merit first class. Ms Gill said: ‘Both my grandfathers were in the Indian Army, so I felt like I had a real connection to the subject matter.

‘I wanted to do justice to the stories of ordinary people who lived during a time of great change and uncertainty. My experience of using the wealth of UK and Ireland wartime records available on Ancestry as inspiration demonstrated how even the simplest of records can tell such interesting and poignant stories.’

The story of a 21-year-old barmaid, Lilian Maher, was also mentioned in the poem. She saved a man’s life during the blitz after learning how to make a tourniquet from a book.

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Ms Gill’s poignant piece was commissioned by Ancestry. The aim was to tell the lives of ordinary and extraordinary people during The First and Second World Wars – on the home front and front line.

The company is digitising thousands of pieces of content from museum collections and putting them on its website.

Simon Pearce, military history expert at Ancestry, said: ‘Britain’s wartime history is full of fascinating accounts that shed light on how our ancestors once lived, and yet there are still so many stories to be discovered.

‘Nikita’s poem is a powerful way of commemorating all types of wartime experiences, which we hope will inspire people to discover more about their own ancestors’ lives during wartime.’