Friends of Popski's Private Army
Welcome to the Friends of Popski's Private Army website, the online part of the PPA Memorial, made possible by the Trooper Pat Blake Memorial Grant.
22 December 2011: We are delighted to announce that Sir Robert Crawford CBE and Sir Christopher Lee CBE have kindly agreed to act as Patrons of the Friends of Popski's Private Army. Full story...
 |
 |
| Sir Robert Crawford CBE foPPA Patron |
Sir Christopher Lee CBE foPPA Patron |
See also the News and Events pages to keep up to date with all foPPA activities. NEXT EVENT: Inaugural PPA Wixoe Remembrance on Tuesday 15 May.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Captain John Campbell MC* "Bulldozer" |
Captain Jean Caneri MC "Jan" |
Captain Robert Yunnie MC "Capitano Bob" |
Lt-Col Vladimir Peniakoff DSO MC "Popski" |
This is for PPA veterans and their families, for friends and fans of the remarkable Popski story, young and old, all around the world. Out of 249 verified members of PPA, in 2012 there are now only 10 of them known to be still alive.
Many people are under the impression that Popski's book is all there is to see but we tell you here about other books on PPA and where to find them, and reproduce newspaper articles and other documents that have lain hidden in The National Archives, the Imperial War Museum, and various dusty attics for decades.
There is already lots of interesting and informative reference material to see, from foPPA's extensive archives, all richly interwoven with relevant cross-links and as time goes on we'll be adding more and more articles and previously unpublished images and documents – see About this website. Further information is also available on the website of our close research colleagues at the PPA Preservation Society.
Authentic PPA-PS jeep in the Pineta di Classe, South of Ravenna. (See Image Credits)
Although there is some information already available on the web about Lieutenant-Colonel Vladimir Peniakoff DSO MC and his World War Two 8th Army Special Forces unit as they fought across Libya and Tunisa then up Italy and into Austria, we have found that much of it is inaccurate or misleading, from secondary sources or just sloppy writing. This is where to find the facts about "No 1 Demolition Squadron, PPA": collected, collated, compared and confirmed over many years from primary sources.
The purpose of this website then, an integral part of the PPA Memorial, is to :-
- raise funds to support the PPA Memorial, PPA Remembrance Events and foPPA's research
- preserve the memory of PPA's exploits by bringing the Popski story to a wider audience
- provide reliable information about the man and his unit, drawn from primary sources
Friends of Popski's Private Army (along with the PPA Preservation Society) is the continuation of the post-war PPA Association run by Sergeant Eric Brooks and Captain Bob Yunnie until Popski's death in 1951, and since then Corporal Ben Owen's guardianship of PPA history until his death in 2008. We hope that you enjoy exploring these pages and feel able to support our continuing work in the Allied Special Forces Grove at the National Memorial Arboretum.
Corporal Frank Dobinson of "Popski's Private Navy" with his daughter Velia,
representing PPA at the November 2010 Royal British Legion Cenotaph March-past. (See Image Credits)
Friends of Popski's Private Army supports : –
 |
 |
 |
| National Memorial Arboretum | Armed Forces Day | Allied Special Forces Grove |
In June we launched our Armed Forces Day Appeal 2011 and this has been a great success, raising over £2,500.
Well done everyone!