Memorial details

Memorial type
Stone of remembrance
District
Lichfield
Town
Alrewas
County
Staffordshire
Country
England
Commemoration
Second World War (1939-1945)
Ceremony
  • Dedicated
    Date: 30 March 2008
    Attended by: Sir Robert Crawford, CBE
  • Unveiled
    Date: 30 March 2008
    Attended by: Sir Robert Crawford CBE
  • Show More (1)
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
76761

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Current location

Memorial is in the Allied Special Forces Association Grove at Eastern end of th Arboretum near the river.
National Memorial Arboretum
Croxall Road
Alrewas
Lichfield
Staffordshire
DE13 7AR
England

OS Grid Ref: SK 18869 14943
Denomination: Undefined

View location on Google Maps
Description
A memorial within Garden 3 ("Raids, Raiders, Reconnaissance & Resistance) of the Allied Special Forces Memorial Grove. A four-sided tapering stone constructed of large stone blocks with a pyramid-shaped top. There are large coloured metal plaques fixed to each side of the stone with rolls of honour/commemorations to squadron members. The front face also bears a metal plaque depicting the No 1 Demolition Squadron badge and a small plaque, with details about the unveiling ceremony, flanked by the logo of the Arboretum and the insignia of the Allied Special Forces Association. The memorial is located in the middle of a grass circle, surrounded by low hedging. Further metal plaques, with information about the squadron's history, are located at the perimeter of the memorial site.
Inscription
[Plaque 1, front face]: POPSKI'S PRIVATE ARMY/ NO. 1 DEMOLITION SQUADRON/ ROLL OF HONOUR/ (Names...)/1942- LIBYA - TUNISIA - ITALY - AUSTRIA - 1945 [Plaque 2, front face]: THIS MEMORIAL WAS UNVEILED BY/ SIR ROBERT CRAWFORD CBE/ ON/ SUNDAY 30 MARCH 2008/ IN THE PRESENCE OF/ VETERANS, RELATIVES AND FRIENDS/ WHOSE GENEROUS DONATIONS MADE IT POSSIBLE/ [Plaque 3]: POPSKI'S PRIVATE ARMY/ NO. 1 DEMOLITION SQUADRON/ HONOURS AND AWARDS/ DISTINGUISHED SERVICE ORDER (Names...)/ DISTINGUISHED CONDUCT MEDAL (Names...)/ MILITARY CROSS (Names...)/ MILITARY MEDAL (Names...)/ MENTIONED IN DESPATCHES (NAMES...)/ 1942 - LIBYA - TUNISIA- ITALY - AUSTRIA - 1945/ [Plaque 4, left-hand column]: POPSKI'S PRIVATE ARMY/ NO. 1 DEMOLITION SQUADRON/ 28TH GARIBALDI BRIGADE/ TO THE ETERNAL MEMORY OF/ ARRIGO BOLDRINI (BULOW) - GOLD MEDAL FOR MILITARY VALOUR/ AND THE PARTISANS OF 28TH GARIBALDI BRIGADE/ UNDER HIS COMMAND IN PORTER FORCE, BRITISH EIGHTH ARMY,/ DURING THE 1944 CAMPAIGN FOR THE LIBERATION OF/ THE CITY OF RAVENNA/ AND/ WITH ETERNAL GRATITUDE/ TO THE 604 HEROES WHO FELL IN THE ACHIEVEMENT OF VICTORY./ [Right-hand column is the Italian translation.] 1942- LIBYA - TUNISIA - ITALY - AUSTRIA - 1945/ [Plaque 5]: POPSKI'S PRIVATE ARMY/ NO. 1 DEMOLITION SQUADRON/ 27TH LANCERS & PORTERFORCE/ IN MEMORY OF/ LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ANDREW HORSBRUGH-PORTER DSO AND BAR,/ THE MEN OF 27TH LANCERS/ AND THE 54 OFFICERS AND MEN WHO FELL DURING THE WAR/ PORTERFORCE OCTOBER-DECEMBER 1944/ HQ PORTERFORCE/27TH LANCERS/ ROYAL CANADIAN DRAGOONS/ KING'S DRAGOON GUARDS/ 145 RAC/ GGHQ/ 1 ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY/ 1 AND 2 CANADIAN FIELD REGIMENT, RCA/ 2 AND 5 CANADIAN MEDIUM REGIMENT, RCA/ 12 AND 13 CANADIAN FIELD COMPANY/ 24 FIELD REGIMENT, RA/ 49 ANTI TANK BATTERY, RA/ 151 ANTI TANK BATTERY, 93 ANTI TANK REGIMENT, RA/ 310 ANTI TANK BATTERY, 60 ANTI TANK REGIMENT, RA/ 32 PLATOON RCASC, 747 BRIDGE COMPANY RASC/ 1800 BAILEY BRIDGE PLATOON/ 1820 FOLDING BOAT EQUIPMENT PLATOON, RCASC/ 168 LONDON INFANTRY BRIGADE SIGNALS SECTION/ 1/3 ESSEX REGIMENT/ 2721 SQUADRON RAF REGIMENT/ ROYAL WESTMINSTER REGIMENT/ 4 AND 7 CANADIAN LIGHT FIELD AMBULANCE/ 1, 2 AND 5 CANADIAN MEDIUM REGIMENT PLATOONS RCASC/ 5 ARMY JEEP PLATOON/ 81 CANADIAN ARTILLERY COMPANY, RCASC/ 1501 ARTILLERY PLATOON, RASC/ 3 CANADIAN PROVOST COMPANY/ POPSKI'S PRIVATE ARMY/ 1942 - LIBYA - TUNISIA - ITALY - AUSTRIA - 1945 [Plaque 6 - information plaque]: POPSKI'S PRIVATE ARMY/ THE STORY OF NO. 1 DEMOLITION SQUADRON, PPA/ AND LT-COL VLADIMIR PENIAKOFF DSO MC/ PART ONE/ POPSKI'S PRIVATE ARMY WAS FOUNDED BY MAJOR VLADIMIR PENIAKOFF IN/ CAIRO IN OCTOBER 1942, BECOMING OPERATIONAL ON 10 DECEMBER 1942, AS/ AN 8TH ARMY SPECIAL FORCES UNIT AT THE SUGGESTION OF LIEUTENANT-COLONEL/ "SHAN" HACKETT. ITS OFFICIAL NAME WAS "NO. 1 DEMOLITION SQUADRON, PPA"/ AND IT WAS FORMED SPECIFICALLY TO ATTACK FIELD-MARSHAL ROMMEL'S FUEL/ SUPPLIES, IN SUPPORT OF GENERAL MONTGOMERY'S OFFENSIVE AT EL ALAMEIN./ AFTER THE LONG RANGE DESERT GROUP AND THE SPECIAL AIR SERVICE,/ PPA WAS THE LAST AND SMALLEST OF THE THREE MAIN RAIDING, RECONNAISSANCE/ AND INTELLIGENCE UNITS RAISED DURING THE NORTH AFRICAN CAMPAIGN. MAJOR/ PENIAKOFF HAD JUST BEEN AWARDED A MILITARY CROSS FOR HIS INTELLIGENCE/ REPORTING AND PETROL DUMP RAIDING WHILE LEADING THE LIBYAN ARAB FORCE/ COMMANDO FOR THREE MONTHS BEHIND ENEMY LINES, AND FOR AN OPERATION/ WHILE ATTACHED TO THE LRDG. THERE WERE FURTHER LAURELS TO COME./ POPSKI'S NICKNAME REFERRED TO A DAILY MIRROR CARTOON CHARACTER AND/ WAS GIVEN TO HIM BY CAPTAIN BILL KENNEDY SHAW, THE LRDG'S INTELLIGENCE/ OFFICER, BECAUSE HIS SIGNALLERS HAD PROBLEMS WITH "PENIAKOFF". THE UNIT'S/ COVER NAME CAME FROM HACKETT'S MILD EXASPERATION AT POPSKI'S DELAY IN/ COMING UP WITH SOMETHING SUITABLE: "YOU HAD BETTER FIND A NAME QUICK OR/ WE SHALL CALL YOU POPSKI'S PRIVATE ARMY". "I'LL TAKE IT" SAID POPSKI./ VLADIMIR PENIAKOFF WAS BORN IN 1897 IN BELGIUM OF RUSSIAN INTELLECTUAL/ PARENTS. HE WAS PRIVATELY EDUCATED IN BELGIUM AND WENT UP TO CAMBRIDGE,/ BECOMING AN ARDENT ANGLOPHILE, INFLUENCED BY BERTRAND RUSSELL. ONLY FOUR/ TERMS LATER THOUGH HE SIGNED UP AS A FRENCH GUNNER DURING WORLD WAR I / BUT WAS INVALIDED OUT IN 1918 AFTER 12 MONTHS IN HOSPITAL./ AFTER THE WAR PENIAKOFF QUALIFIED AS AN ENGINEER IN GRENOBLE. HE/ WORKED IN HIS FATHER'S CHEMICAL FACTORY IN BELGIUM, THEN IN 1924 MOVED/ TO EGYPT TO RUN A SUGAR REFINERY. WITH PLENTY OF LEISURE TIME THROUGHOUT/ THE NEXT 15 YEARS, HE CLIMBED IN THE ITALIAN ALPS AND LEARNED TO FLY LIGHT/ AIRCRAFT AROUND THE MIDDLE EAST. HE EXPLORED THE EASTERN AND WESTERN/ DESERTS, RELYING ONLY ON HIS OWN RESOURCES, LEARNING DESERT NAVIGATION,/ MEETING AND TALKING HISTORY WITH ARAB TRIBESMEN. HE BECAME A FELLOW OF/ THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY, MARRIED AND HAD TWO DAUGHTERS. WHEN/ WORLD WAR II BROKE OUT AND AFTER HIS REJECTION BY THE ROYAL AIR FORCE AND/ THE ROYAL NAVY, A RELUCTANT BRITISH ARMY WAS PERSUADED TO TAKE ON THIS/ PODGY BUT PERSISTENT MIDDLE-AGED BELGIAN./ ASSIGNED TO MUNDANE GARRISON DUTIES AS AN ARABIC-SPEAKING JUNIOR/ OFFICER IN THE LIBYAN ARAB FORCE, POPSKI PLOTTED HIS ESCAPE AND FORMED THE/ LIBYAN ARAB FORCE COMMANDO - A SMALL GROUP OF SOLDIERS WHO OPERATED/ BEHIND THE AXIS LINES IN THE JEBEL AKHDAR AREA OF CYRENAICA./ AFTER RETURNING TO CAIRO IN THE MIDDLE OF 1942 ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT HIS/ LAFC HAD BEEN DISBANDED WHILE HE WAS AWAY, POPSKI WAS INVITED TO JOIN/ AN LRDG RAID IN THE AREA HE HAD JUST LEFT. HE LEARNED MUCH ABOUT THEIR/ WAYS, LOST A FINGER ON HIS LEFT HAND TO AN ITALIAN BULLET, AND WON AN MC./ IT WAS SHORTLY AFTER THIS THAT PPA WAS FORMED: THE SMALLEST INDEPENDENT/ UNIT OF THE BRITISH ARMY AT 23 ALL RANKS. THE ORIGINAL OFFICERS OF PPA WERE/ THREE FRIENDS WHO HAD SERVED TOGETHER IN THE LIBYAN ARAB FORCE: POPSKI,/ ROBERT PARK YUNNIE AND JEAN CANERI./ EVENTS PROCEEDED RAPIDLY AS THE GERMANS AND ITALIANS WERE CHASED/ OUT OF NORTH AFRICA ALMOST BEFORE PPA REALLY GOT GOING. A JOINT LRDG-/PPA PATROL DISCOVERED THE GAP IN THE MOUNTAINS THAT LET MONTGOMERY'S/ ARMOUR OUTFLANK ROMMEL'S MARETH LINE DEFENCES, AND PPA WAS AMONG/ THE FIRST ELEMENTS OF 8TH ARMY, PUSHING WEST, TO MEET THE BRITISH 1ST/ ARMY AND AMERICAN 2ND CORPS, PUSHING EAST, IN TUNISIA IN EARLY 1943./ MANY PPA RAIDING AND RECONNAISSANCE OPERATIONS WERE CARRIED OUT/ AROUND THE TIME OF THE KASSERINE PASS FIGHTING. INCLUDING TAKING THE/ SURRENDER OF 600 ITALIANS, ALONGSIDE BRITISH AND AMERICAN FORCES./ THE SUMMER OF 1943 WAS SPENT IN ALGERIA AND TUNISIA RECRUITING AND/ TRAINING NEW VOLUNTEERS FROM THE LRDG, SAS, COMMANDOS ND ROYAL/ ARMOURED CORPS FOR THE FIGHT IN ITALY, BRINGING THE UNIT'S SIZE UP TO ABOUT/ 35 ALL RANKS, WITH TWO FIGHTING PATROLS AND A SMALL HQ./ THE PPA MEMORIAL WAS FUNDED BY PPA VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIEND, AND ERECTED IN 2008 BY FOPPA/ THIS PLAQUE WAS GIFTED IN 2010 BY MICHAEL BLAKE AND ROBERT CUMMINGS IN MMEORY OF TROOPER PAT BLAKE 1942 - LIBYA - TUNISIA - ITALY - AUSTRIA - 1945 [Other plaques:unknown]
Inscription legible?
yes
Commemorations
  • Second World War (1939-1945)
    Total names on memorial: 19
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 0
    Exact count: no
    Information shown: Rank, forename, surname, regiment, date of birth, date of death, age at death
    Order of information: Undefined
Components
  • Stone of remembrance
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: STONE
  • Plaques
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Metal
  • Garden
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Undefined
Listing information
Condition
Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Sponsorship
Public
Details: Veterans, family, friends and other benefactors connected to the PPA.

This record comprises all information held by IWM’s War Memorials Register for this memorial. Where we hold a names list for the memorial, this information will be displayed on the memorial record. Please check back as we are adding more names to the database.

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