The Development of Coastal Defence Units of the Lyttelton Fortress Area

The first unit of Artillery to serve at Godley Head was 23 Heavy Battery New Zealand Artillery (NZA). It was made up of A Battery being 30 Gunners from the Territorial Force Special Reserve (TFSR) based at Trentham Camp near Wellington with their 60 pdnr field guns. The other section, B Battery, manned the 4 inch naval Mk 7 guns at the Battery Point Examination Battery.

In June 1940 the 11 Heavy (Coast) Regiment was formed with  Regimental Headquarters at Battery Point. The Godley Head unit was designated 17 Heavy Battery NZA and the Battery Point unit (which incorporated the detachment manning Fort Jervois on Ripapa Island) was 18 Heavy Battery NZA. In early 1941 the 11th’s Headquarters was moved to Godley Head.

In June 1941, the 17 Heavy Battery NZA was redesignated the 87 Heavy Battery NZA and the 18 Heavy Battery NZA became 88 Heavy Battery NZA,  At this point the 17th was still manning the Taylor Battery with its two 60 pounder field guns. The 87th was redesignated again in August 1941, becoming the 80 Heavy Battery NZA. At this time,  it took over the two BL Mk XXIV 6 inch guns at the Godley Battery.

The 80 Heavy Battery NZA was redesignated yet again in 1944 when it became the 80 Coast Battery NZA. Its final designation was the 111 Battery Royal New Zealand Artiliary (RNZA) on the 1st February 1949.  The Battery Point unit became 112 Battery RNZA.

The Regimental Headquarters moved from Godley to Christchurch in November 1943 and back to Godley in November 1944. The Regiment was redesignated to the 11 Coast Regiment RNZA in 1945. The unit remained the 11 Coast Regiment RNZA throughout the CMT (Compulsory Military Training) period.