Egton Bridge Cross, Egton Bridge, North Yorkshire

Egton Bridge Cross, Egton Bridge, North Yorkshire known locally as Swinsty Cross). Erected early 1929. Newly listed at Grade II. © Historic England/DP175396. On 15 April 1917, Probationary Flying Officer Francis Titcomb took off from Redcar aerodrome on his first RNAS solo training flight. Disoriented in snow clouds over the moors, he crashed near Egton Bridge. Local found him in the wreckage and carried him to a nearby farm, where he died from his injuries. The memorial cross was erected close to the crash site on the moors. Titcomb was buried in Brompton Cemetery, London. Early in the war it was common for pilots to fly solo after no more than one hour’s tuition. But a new training curriculum - the ‘Gosport System’ based on classroom theory and dual control flying - was fully introduced towards the end of 1917. This halved pilot fatalities.