A SPECIAL beer is being brewed to honour a forgotten secret army of Second World War which trained at Coleshill, near Highworth.

Coleshill was the base of the Auxiliary Unit, a last ditch army of sabotage and harassment who would have been mobilised if the Nazis had invaded Britain.

The commemorative ale, based on an authentic 1940s recipe, is being created by pub owner and micro-brewer Alan Watkins, whose Halfpenny Brewery is based at Lechlade’s Crown Inn.

On July 4, when the 70th anniversary of the unit is marked at Coleshill, it is hoped that a bottle of the beer will be buried in a time capsule.

Mr Watkins was inspired by the Second World War history of Coleshill, which is documented on Highworth-based expert Tom Sykes’s website, www.coleshillhouse.com.

Mr Sykes, 32, said: “The idea was Alan’s. I put out an appeal on the website for people to help with fundraising for the July 4 event.

“I had a message from Alan, who said he’d like to help us raise money by putting on a special beer that we could name.

“We hope to put a bottle in a time capsule as part of the commemoration.”

Mr Watkins, who also leases the Radnor Arms pub in Coleshill from owners the National Trust, will donate part of the proceeds of the beer to the commemoration.

Members of the public with an interest in the Auxiliary Unit are invited to suggest names for the brew via Mr Sykes’s website. The final choice will be made by Bob Millard, an 87-year-old veteran of the unit who lives in Cumbria.

Mr Sykes said of the beer idea: “It’s fantastic – it’s a really kind gesture.

“The recipe selected for the beer is from the 1940s and hasn’t been brewed much since. We’re trying to keep the ingredients as secret as possible.

“Bob Millard will be given a whole list of names suggested on the website, and the final decision will be his.”

Mr Sykes is a freelance marketing manager whose interest in the unit was sparked by his partner, Paula Pearcey. She gave him a potted history of the area when he moved to Highworth. His website was founded in February of last year, and new features and data are added almost constantly.

For example, people who think a loved one or ancestor was a member of the unit can check the database to find out for sure, while a tie-in to Google Earth means locations of Auxiliary Unit bases can be found and viewed.