Vladimir Peniakoff
Lieutenant-Colonel Vladimir Peniakoff | |
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Nickname(s) | Popski |
Born | Huy, Liège, Belgium | 30 March 1897
Died | 15 May 1951 Bloomsbury, London, England | (aged 54)
Buried | Wixoe, Suffolk, England |
Allegiance | France/United Kingdom |
Service/ | French Army British Army |
Years of service | 1917–1918 (France) 1940–1946 (United Kingdom) |
Rank | Lieutenant-Colonel |
Service number | 159661 |
Commands held | Popski's Private Army |
Battles/wars | First World War Second World War |
Awards | Distinguished Service Order Military Cross Croix de Guerre Africa Star |
Lieutenant-Colonel Vladimir "Popski" Peniakoff DSO MC FRGS (Russian: Владимир Дмитриевич Пеняков Vladimir Dmitriyevich Penyakov, 30 March 1897 – 15 May 1951) was the founder and commanding officer of No. 1 Demolition Squadron, PPA, colloquially known as "Popski's Private Army", during World War II.
Early life[]
Vladimir Peniakoff was born on 30 March 1897 in Huy, Belgium, to affluent Jewish Russian emigre parents where his father, Dmitri, owned and operated an aluminium factory. Peniakoff began an engineering degree at Free University of Brussels at the age of 15 before his studies were interrupted by the German invasion of Belgium in August 1914.[1][2]
His father took him to England where Peniakoff resumed his studies at St John's College, Cambridge reading mathematics. He initially had conscientious objections to participation in the conflict, but by his fourth term at Cambridge his views had altered, and he went to France to volunteer as a gunner in the French artillery. He was injured during his service with the French Army and was invalided out after the Armistice in November 1918.[2]
In 1924 Peniakoff emigrated to Egypt where he worked as an engineer with a sugar manufacturer. During this period of his life he learned to sail, fly and navigate vehicles through the desert, and also become a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Peniakoff was a polyglot who spoke English, Russian, Italian, German, French and Arabic well.
World War II[]
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Peniakoff was commissioned as a second lieutenant on the British Army General List on 4 October 1940, serving in the Libyan Arab Force.[3] He commanded the unit known as "Popski's Private Army" in the Middle East and Italy. He was eventually promoted to lieutenant colonel.
During the conflict he was awarded the Military Cross on 26 November 1942,[4] and on 26 April 1945 he was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO).[5]
During WW2, Peniakoff sustained two injuries to his left hand; the first, during the desert campaign, resulted in the loss of a finger, while the second, towards the end of the War in Italy, necessitated amputation of the entire hand. [6]
Post-war, in 1947, he was made a Belgian Officier de l'Ordre de la Couronne avec Palme and awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 avec Palme.
Peniakoff became the British-Russian liaison officer in Vienna before demobilisation, naturalisation and achieving fame as a British writer and broadcaster. In 1950 he wrote the book Private Army about his experiences; it sold very well, was reprinted several times that year, and has continued to be reprinted (also titled Popski's Private Army) well into the 21st century.
Personal life[]
In Egypt he married Josephe Louise Colette "Josette" Ceysens, an Egypt-born Belgian, on 10 November 1928 and had two daughters, Olga and Anne, born in 1930 and 1932. After receiving his commission he divorced Josephe in March 1941 and sent the family to South Africa.[2] On 2 April 1948 he married Pamela Firth in Chelsea.[7]
Death[]
Peniakoff died on 15 May 1951 of a brain tumour at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London. His body was buried in the graveyard of St. Leonard's Church, Wixoe, in the County of Suffolk.
References[]
- ^ Willett. Popski. Willett interviewed many of Popski's surviving Jewish relatives after World War II.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Vladimir Peniakoff: "Popski"". Friends of Popski's Private Army. 28 January 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
- ^ "No. 35063". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 January 1941. pp. 681–682.
- ^ "No. 35799". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 November 1942. p. 5142.
- ^ "No. 37051". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 April 1945. p. 2216.
- ^ 'Private Army', V. Peniakoff, ISBN 978-0192852380
- ^ "Pamela Matthews". The Times. 19 December 2005. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
Further reading[]
- Willett, John (1954). Popski: A Life of Vladimir Peniakoff, D.S.O., M.C. London: MacGibbon & Kee.
External links[]
- Friends of PPA online part of the PPA Memorial, Official Register of PPA Personnel, PPA Roll of Honour, PPA Awards, PPA War Establishments and other information.
- PPA Preservation Society personnel database, photos and information.
- Popski's Private Army a comprehensive synopsis of the PPA story, by Allen Parfitt.
- Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge
- British Army General List officers
- Recipients of the Military Cross
- British Army personnel of World War II
- Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
- Officers of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)
- Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium)
- 1897 births
- 1951 deaths
- Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society
- French Army soldiers
- English Jews
- English people of Russian-Jewish descent
- Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
- Belgian Jews
- Belgian people of Russian-Jewish descent
- Free University of Brussels alumni
- Belgian expatriates in Egypt