1939 The Apostle Battery Bomb Shelters and Tunnels

1939 The Apostle Battery Bomb Shelters and Tunnels

Discover the hidden secrets under and above an abandoned WWII Military Base in Llandudno.
The Year 1942 and the Cape is under enemy attack by lurking German U Boats. A network of Big Guns, Underground Operation Rooms, SSS Radar Stations and Ammunition magazines have been built to defend the Cape.
Allow 1,5 hours for this exclusive private or scheduled Tour that will leave you blasted by the past.
Please bring a small handheld torch and a sense for adventure.
Due to the underground nature this tunnel complex has accessibility limitations making them unsuitable for people with disabilities.
Bookings must be made well in advance and there are no ‘pay at the door’ facilities. No casual visitors will be allowed.

The Apostle Battery was built as one of a string of similar structures that was constructed as, or adapted for defense of the Cape from attack by sea during WWII. The defensive line extended from Saldanha in the north to Betty’s Bay in the east, and comprised a combination of gun batteries and radar stations. A concentration of these features was clustered in and around Cape Town. Construction of the earliest features of Apostle Battery began in November 1939, with the erection of some of the buildings, including sleeping quarters, and two of the 9.2-inch gun emplacements. From October 1940, the site was manned, and, until 4 December, coast and anti-aircraft training for recruits was conducted at the battery. From December, the personnel were transferred to the Docks Battery, the training center stopped functioning, and the battery fell to the management of the Care and Maintenance division. In 1941, the battery was re manned, and new guns were installed, after the Government of the Union of South Africa acquired erven 1434, 1432 and portion 1 of Cape Farm 902. Two 6-inch MK XIX field guns were mounted as counter bombardment measures, and in August of 1942, a 9.2-inch MK field gun was moved to the battery from Lion Battery. In October 1943, the installation of a 9.2-inch MK X (No. 2 gun) rendered the 6-inch guns obsolete, and they were removed. By December 1943, all guns were managed by Care and Maintenance, and the Battery was unmanned and no longer operational. In January 1944, Fortress instruments were installed at the Battery, although these were never used. The Lion Battery gun was replaced with another 9.2-inch gun in late 1944, but the battery was closed on 17 December 1944, and care of the site fell to the Care and Maintenance division. A final, third MK gun was installed higher up the slopes in 1945, after the British Ports Defense Committee resolved that 9.2-inch and 6-inch batteries should have at least three guns. A significant feature of the military history of the site is the involvement of the Women’s Auxiliary Army Services (WAAS) with training there. Artillery Specialists WAAS arrived at Apostle Battery in September 1942, after receiving training at Simons town. They were initially trained as range-takers for the gun batteries, and despite initial skepticism at their ability to do the work, their training later expanded to include signaling, close defense work, searchlight operation and radar. Women were on site until late September 1945, by which time all had been moved to other units, or had left the service. The women’s barracks were demolished after a mountain fire, and the demolished foundations remain visible. 

The Underground bomb proof shelters and Tunnels are of remarkable engineering and create an puzzling Underground Maze.