Godley Head

Fitting in to their General Knowledge training, twenty-five army cadets from the City of Christchurch Cadet Unit (CCCU) participated in a field day excursion to the Godley Head Defence Battery. The trip was planned by Private Douglas, a Canadian living in Middle Earth for the past 8 years, and recently enlisted in the New Zealand Defence Forces. She was a little nervous because this was her first time planning & taking command of a cadet excursion.

The Sunday (March 15^th) began very early, having to wake up & arrive at the cadet unit by 0740 hours. I was forced to walk to the unit, taking 45 minutes, because of the laid back bus schedule but still arrived in time to do last minute preparation before teaching the background history of the Defence Battery.

The battery was built in 1939 at a cost of (excluding guns & ammunition) to defend the entrance to Lyttleton Harbour against German & Japanese warships during the Second World War. Adjusting for inflation, £145,581 in 1939 is around£6,469,080.25 or $17,523,861.18 NZD today! She was armed with three 6" breech loading Mark XXIV Coastal Defence Guns, and a mobile anti-aircraft battery. Supporting structures included radar, barracks, searchlights, a mess hall, & 3 shell magazines that stored a total of 2400 shells. Until its decommissioning in 1963, the battery maintained a staff of 400 men & women. In the end, the battery never had to fire on an enemy warship during the war and only suffered 4 accidental deaths. Unfortunately, the guns were removed & dismantled in 1963 meaning the cadets wouldn’t be firing off any rounds to pass the time.

When my lesson was complete, the cadets were huddled into several waiting vehicles and we were on our way. Myself & three other cadets were riding in Private Douglas’s car when she made a wrong turn. Because she was the convoy leader, everyone else followed, with confused faces. After making a U-turn, the convoy rode into Lyttleton via a long tunnel before slowly heading up the winding roads up the mountains. The roads are pretty tight & there aren’t any guardrails to protect your car from going over the edge. Even though it was morning, the mountain range was bustling with mountain bikers, runners, and paragliders.

The first half of the day was devoted to teaching bushcraft and map & compass. Officers & myself were given walkie-talkies for communication. We spent several minutes trying to come up with cool call signs, and I settled on Canuck after flatly rejecting Moose. The 360-degree views are great to photograph but the weather is kind of chilly so bring some warm clothing. As well, you have to watch where you step because the area is covered with sheep faeces – that’s what happens when the land is used for animal grazing.

After lunch, we explored the concrete remains of the battery, examining the deep dark passages and the pits where the guns once stood. There aren’t any lights so you need a flashlight when exploring the passageways. Even though there is a caretaker at Godley Head, the place still falls victim to vandalism, most notably spray painted walls.

At the end of the day, the convoy made a pit stop to Sumner Beach where we devoured mounds of French Fries & hash browns. Of course, while we were waiting for the food to arrive, the cadets were treated to some good old beach exercise, with running, push-ups, & jumping jacks. The sun was setting by the time we arrived back at the unit to put away equipment and supervise the cadets until they were picked up by their parents.

Overall, the day excursion turned out quite well, thanks to planning & preparation. I overheard that the unit is talking with city officials about acquiring a portion of the Godley Head property in order to turn it into a training site and field trip destination for schools (as long as the sheep faeces are removed). Unfortunately, the portion that’s up for sale is the one that doesn’t contain the gun bunkers, armour magazines, and underground tunnels.