Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

No.1 Demolition Squadron (Popski’s Private Army) Cap Badge; together with four books: Long Range Desert Group, The Story of its Work in Libya 1940-1943, by W. B. Kennedy Shaw, Collins, London, 1945, inside cover inscribed, ‘To Ted from Edith, 1946’ and ‘Ted Beautyman, L.R.D.G. 1942-43’; another, With Popski’s Private Army, by Ben Owen, Janus Publishing, London, 1993, title page signed by the author; additionally inscribed, ‘To Edith Beautyman. Remembering Ted. M.M. Sgt. Signal Section P.P.A. In much Regard and all Best Wishes, Ben, May 1993’, with dustcover; another, Warriors on Wheels, by Park Yunnie of Popski’s Private Army, Hutchinson & Co, London, 1959; another, Private Army, by Lieutenant-Colonel Vladimir Peniakoff, D.S.O., M.C. ‘Popski’, Jonathan Cape, London, 1950, good condition (lot)
£120-160

M.M. London Gazette 8 February 1945. ‘2328234 Sergeant John Edward Beautyman, Royal Corps of Signals (Hull).’

John Edward (Ted) Beautyman was born in Hull, Yorkshire on 22 June 1920. Residing at 15 Weghton Grove, Hull and an apprentice mechanic by occupation, he enlisted in Hull on 19 January 1938. With his parent unit being the Royal Corps of Signals he went on to join the Long Range Desert Group and Popski’s Private Army, joining the latter in February 1943 - serving in the PPA ‘P’ Patrol and ‘Blitz’ Patrol. With the unit from February 1943 until it was disbanded in September 1945, he served firstly as Patrol Wireless Operator and latterly as O.C. Unit Signals for the unit. For his bravery in action while serving in Italy he was awarded the Military Medal.

Popski’s Private Army, officially ‘No. 1 Demolition Squadron, PPA’, was founded by Major (later Lieutenant-Colonel) Vladimir Peniakof in Cairo in October 1942. It was one of several special forces raiding units formed and used in the Western Desert during the war. The unit was later active in Italy before they were disbanded in September 1945.

Peniakoff (Popski) said of Beautyman, ‘A man of infinite resource and varied accomplishments, undaunted and reliable, whom I put in command of our headquarters on one occasion when none of our experienced officers were at hand.’

Ted Beautyman died on 8 September 1981.

The book With Popski’s Private Army additionally with a letter from the author to Ted Beautyman’s widow, dated 5 May 1993 and reading, ‘Dear Edith, Would you please accept the enclosed book as a tribute to Ted? I hope you are keeping well in this horrible cold climate. It makes me wish I was back in the Desert. The sun is actually shining here at the moment but it is still horribly cold. Best regards Edith, Ben’

Also with a typed testimonial of Sergeant Beautyman, M.M., by Lieut.-Col. V. Peniakoff, in which he extolls the many virtues of Beautyman. With copied gazette extract and some copied biographical details of Beautyman and also of Ben Owen - a former Corporal in PPA ‘B’ Patrol and author of one of the books above.