A Herefordshire museum is on the hunt for information about Dad’s Army, the force immortalised by the eponymous television comedy featuring beloved characters led by Captain Mainwaring (played by Arthur Lowe).

It was called the Home Guard, and was to be Britain’s last line of defence in the event of a Nazi invasion in the Second World War.

But little is known about the Home Guard in Herefordshire, and the Herefordshire Regimental Museum wants to put that right.

It is appealing to anyone who may know more about its history, perhaps from those with family members who served in the force.

Colonel Andy Taylor, curator of the museum at Suvla Barracks, Harold Street, Hereford, recounts what is known:

In May 1940, the British Expeditionary Force was facing the German blitzkrieg in France. Germany had already overrun Poland in the East and Holland, Belgium and France in the West. British troops were to be routed and escape from the continent at Dunkirk.

The invasion of Britain seemed imminent. The British Government recognising this threat called for volunteers to form the Local Defence Volunteers, soon to be renamed by Winston Churchill as the Home Guard. Within a month 750,000 men has volunteered.

These volunteers aged between 17 and 65, had no uniform and no equipment, but the numbers continued to grow to well over 1.5 million men.

Equipped with their own shotguns and knives tied to broomsticks they stood ready to do their duty.

Their role was to delay and hinder the German invading troops to buy time to allow regular army units to mount a counter attack. As time went by the invasion threat lessened but was still real.

The Home Guard were a key part in the UK’s defence and were soon issued with uniforms and equipment.

They took on many roles releasing regular troops to fight the war overseas.

Home Guard tasks included Key Point defence, POW guarding, mounting road blocks and patrolling to deter and detect any enemy who might land in Britain – there was a real threat of a German parachute incursion.

The men of Herefordshire volunteered in great numbers to join the Home Guard. Many had served in the trenches in the First World War, some were too young for regular military service and joined the Home Guard to do their bit before being conscripted. Other men were in reserved occupations and were exempt from conscription but again joined the Home Guard to contribute to the war effort.

Herefordshire had six battalions covering these areas: Leominster, Bromyard, Hereford City, Hereford Rural, Ledbury and Harewood End. Units were also established by the Great Western Railway, Rotherwas ammunition factory and Baroni Metals.

They had a key role in maintaining transport links, and mounted guards on road and rail bridges, viaducts and tunnels. They also stood ready to take on any German invasion at bridges over rivers and other choke points. Almost every village in the county had a Home Guard unit with local tasks.

While the television programme Dad’s Army portrays the Home Guard in a light-hearted way, the task was far from this. There was a real threat and a real job to be done and the commitment of all members was most significant

Home Guards men operated anti-aircraft guns, and in 1944 many were called up for 30 days’ full-time service to support the Normandy landings.

By late 1944, the European invasion was well established and the threat of invasion had disappeared.

The Home Guard had done their bit and were now no longer required. On December 31, 1944, the Home Guard was stood down.

The Home Guards men handed in their weapons and equipment and went back to their civilian lives. At stand-down 6,332 men were serving with the Home Guard in Herefordshire.

While the invasion threat has gone, there was still bitter fighting in Europe and the Far East. VE (Victory in Europe) Day would not come for another five months, and VJ (Victory in Japan) Day for eight months.

The stand-down of the Home Guard was the first indicator that the end of the war was in sight, but no one knew when, and there would be many hardships, tragedies and deaths before the end.

Those Home Guards men that served for three years were awarded the Defence Medal and received a letter of thanks for their service from the King.

Herefordshire will commemorate VE Day on Friday, May 8, with an event which it is hoped will be attended by veterans of World War Two, and VJ Day with a service in Hereford Cathedral on Sunday, August 16.

Anyone with information should email hfdlimuseum@gmail.com