Popskis Private NAVY?

[sailorbear]

Hi there, recently came accross a reference to Popskis Private Navy while researching insignia worn by the PPA (No 1 Demolition Bn) Appearently it was the smallest established unit in the Brtish Army in WW2?

Does anyone know if they had any particular (official or unofficial) unit insignia and does anyone have any images of it?

Regard Tony

[ARTE ET MARTE]

Hi Tony,
could you please quote the book you saw this in and give members a start point,
thanks.

[boots and saddles]

In his book Vladimir Peniakoff"s only mention of a maritime exercise was when they left Manfredonia Italy with 12 jeeps & 30 men to land behind the retreating Germans on the Adriatic coast at Cingoli around the mouth of the Tenna River, which had to be aborted because the Germans were retreating too rapidly, A near disaster occured when the LCT grounded while trying to get away & they had to be rescued be a motor launch & was heavily overloaded with 118 men ( including crew of LCT & his detachment of 9th Commando)on a craft designed to carry 7 but got back after leaving 5 men to signal RAF on bombing the retreating Germans. He made no mention of calling them his Navy, So it may have been a passing reference by any of the men or even himself or some writer. Ray

[sailorbear]

[QUOTE=boots and saddles;48401]In his book Vladimir Peniakoff"s only mention of a maritime exercise was when they left Manfredonia Italy with 12 jeeps & 30 men to land behind the retreating Germans on the Adriatic coast at Cingoli around the mouth of the Tenna River, which had to be aborted because the Germans were retreating too rapidly, A near disaster occured when the LCT grounded while trying to get away & they had to be rescued be a motor launch & was heavily overloaded with 118 men ( including crew of LCT & his detachment of 9th Commando)on a craft designed to carry 7 but got back after leaving 5 men to signal RAF on bombing the retreating Germans. He made no mention of calling them his Navy, So it may have been a passing reference by any of the men or even himself or some writer. Ray[/QUOTE

Hi, The references I found were all online and not in a book, but were definately of "Popskis Private Navy" the references were:

Wikipedia - Popski's Private Army: mentions Popski's Private Navy.

WW2TALK: Mentions Popski's Private Navy.

users.telenet.be/ppa/ppa : This has a whole lot about the PPA and has a section entitled Popski's Private Navy, in another section -Friends of PPA the PPN is also mentioned!

The followng is a vebatum copy of a section from this site!

POPSKI'S PRIVATE NAVY
This page is dedicate to the men of Popskh's Private Navy.

Lieutenant Brian Thomas PPN
Sergeant Jimmy Kinealy PPN
Sapper Cawthorn PPN
Sapper Frank Dobinson PPN
Sapper Lou Fowerker PPN
Sapper Butch Freeman PPN

Lieutenant Brian Thomas has sent us the names of the other five Royal Engineers of 945 Inland Water Transportation Company in Popski's Private Navy, along with some photos of the pre-fabricated wooden cargo lighters (RLC's a.k.a Ramped Craft Logistics) used in the Venice escapade and for transporting PPA around the marches, canals and flooded areas of Northern Italy. As an interesting point of records, Popski's Private Navy, comprising of just 6 men, represents the smallest independent unit of the British Army (smaller than the original No 1 Demolition Squadron) further than that, they must certainly hold a military record, since every man of the unit was Mentioned in Dispatches.

The article then goes on to describe actions and events by the unit commander Lt Brian Thomas. Very interesting and well worth a read!

Hope this is helpful to all interested?

As a point of further personal interest does anyone have any examples or images of insignia worn by 945 Inland Water transportation Company?

Regards Tony.

[fougasse1940]

Info on Popski's Private Navy can be found here:
http://users.telenet.be/ppa/homepage.htm

Rgds,
fougasse1940.

[boots and saddles]

Sounds interesting & offical.

[jamesdobinson]

Tony and others,

Interesting to read your postings about Popski's Private Navy, though I note they were sometime ago.

You may be interested to know that Frank Dobinson is my Grandfather and I would be happy to find out answers to your questions.

This may be of interest, following this years Remberance Sunday event in London. My grandfather is mentioned.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...en-heroes.html

All the best,

James Dobinson