Easby Moor

Easby Moor is a small hill located in the North York Moors national park within the Cleveland Hills, North Yorkshire, England. At the peak, at above sea level, is a monument to Captain James Cook. The Cleveland Way runs over the moor. The moor overlooks the villages of Easby and Great Ayton.HistoryThe moor was the scene of an air crash during World War II. At 4:10 a.m. on 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. As ice had formed on the wings, the aircraft failed to gain sufficient height to clear the hill. 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.Captain Cook's MonumentErected in 1827 by Robert Campion, a Whitby banker, the 60ft high monument bears a plaque with the following inscription: