Easby Moor
| Easby Moor | |
|---|---|
 Captain Cook monument | |
| Elevation | 324 m (1,063 ft) |
| Prominence | 104 m (341 ft) |
| Location | |
| Location | North York Moors, England |
| OS grid | NZ590101 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 93 |
Easby Moor is located in the North York Moors national park at 324 metres (1,063 ft) above sea level it lies within the Cleveland Hills, North Yorkshire, England. The moor is a part of the Cleveland Way and is best known for its 51 ft (16 m) high monument to Captain James Cook, which overlooks the village of Great Ayton.
History
The moor was the scene of an air crash during World War II. At 4:10 a.m. on the morning of 11 February 1940, a Hudson aircraft took off from Thornaby airfield, to search for German minesweepers operating off the Danish coast. Five minutes later the plane crashed on Easby Moor killing three of the four crewmen and injuring the fourth. Ice had formed on the wings causing the aircraft to fail to gain sufficient height to clear the hills. The aircraft ploughed through a larch plantation before coming to rest. The gap in the plantation corresponds exactly with the Hudson's wingspan of 65.5 feet.
The aircrew who died were Flying Officer Tom Parker, Sergeant Harold Berksley and Corporal Norman Drury. Leading Aircraftman Athol Barker survived but was later shot down whilst flying over Germany. The four unexploded bombs that the Hudson carried were later detonated by the RAF resulting in a pond.[1]
References
- ↑ Pearce, Ian (2003); Lost on Easby Moor: The Last Flight of Hudson NR-E. Great Ayton Community Archaeology Project. Printability Publishing. ISBN 978-1872239408
Coordinates: 54°29′00″N 1°05′24″W / 54.483271°N 1.090097°W