The Memorial to Private Herbert George Columbine VC comprises a bronze bust of Herbert Columbine, on a white column plinth with a plaque to the front which reads;
PTE H C Columbine V.C. Killed in action 22nd March 1916. He refused to retire when he might have done so and by his self sacrifice and devotion to duty he was the means of holding up a large number of the enemy for four hours.
‘Save Yourselves, I’ll carry on’. Were the last known words of Herbert Columbine, shouted at his two companions on the afternoon of 22nd March 1918. At 9am that morning, in Hervilly Woods, France, 9 Squadron Machine Gun Corps had come under intense attack from a heavy force of German infantry. Private Columbine took command of an isolated gun, with no wire in front and began firing. As the German onslaught grew and casualties mounted, Herbert and two others eventually became separated from the rest of their Squadron. After several hours it became clear their position would soon be overrun so Herbert told them to escape while they could. Now on his own, Herbert hung on tenaciously, repelling several attacks, each one deadlier than the last. He was only defeated after the Germans bought up air support and dropped a bomb on his position, killing him and destroying his gun. Herbert Columbine has no known grave.
The cache is not at the posted co-ordinates, to find out the location of the cache check out the Memorial. There are three plaques to the front of the memorial, one directly below the bust and two on the column. The date on the middle plaque is ABCD, the date on the bottom plaque is EFGH
N 51 50.(B-C)(F-A)(E+G) E 001 15.(A+H)(D+H)(C+D)
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