RAF Croft

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Coordinates: 54°27′09″N 001°33′11″W / 54.45250°N 1.55306°W / 54.45250; -1.55306
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

RAF Croft
AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
00/00  Tarmac
00/00  Tarmac
00/00  Tarmac

Royal Air Force Croft or more simply RAF Croft is a former Royal Air Force station located 4.6 miles (7.4 km) south of Darlington, County Durham, England and 8 miles (13 km) north-east of Richmond, North Yorkshire. The site is also known locally as Croft Aerodrome or Neasham. Constructed at the same time as many other airfields, it was originally named RAF Dalton-on-Tees after the nearby village Dalton-on-Tees. However, it was quickly renamed RAF Croft (after Croft-on-Tees) after initial confusion with the also newly opened RAF Dalton near Thirsk, just 25 miles away.

The airfield was opened in 1941 for use by the Royal Air Force (RAF) but by 1942 the aerodrome had been taken over by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) for training as part of No. 6 Group RCAF.

The station is now the site of Croft Circuit, a motor racing circuit which hosts various car championships including the British Touring Car Championship.

History

The first squadron stationed at Croft was

427 Squadron RCAF was formed at the airfield with a mixture of Mk III's and Mk X's Wellington before leaving on 4 May 1943.[3]

In 1943, Croft became a sub-station of

RAF Middleton St. George which was allocated to No. 6 Group, Royal Canadian Air Force.[4]

The airfield also hosted

434 Squadron RCAF which had joined on 11 December 1944 also flying the Halifax and the Lancaster before leaving on 15 June 1945 to also go to Canada.[5]

After the RCAF left in 1945, Croft saw little wartime activity. Later in 1945 the aerodrome became a satellite of

No. 13 Operational Training Unit RAF based at Middleton St. George flying de Havilland Mosquitoes. The station was closed in the summer of 1946.[4]
[6]

The following units were also here at some point:[7]

Incidents

On 22 March 1945, a Royal Canadian Air Force Lancaster aircraft was taking off from Croft when it was caught in a crosswind and blown off the runway where a punctured tyre led to it crashing and the port engine catching fire. The crew extricated themselves and as the 4-pound (1.8 kg) incendiary bombs were exploding in the fire, the base and local residents were evacuated to shelter in a cutting of the nearby railway line. At 11:27 am, the 4,000-pound (1,800 kg) blockbuster bomb on board the Lancaster exploded and took the roofs off several buildings in the immediate vicinity.[12]

Croft Circuit, North Yorkshire.

Current use

The Croft aerodrome is now Croft Circuit, a venue for the British Touring Car Championship and British Superbike Championship.

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d Falconer 2012, p. 72.
  2. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 78.
  3. ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 91.
  4. ^ a b c "RAF Croft". Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  5. ^ Jefford 1988, p. 92.
  6. ^ Moyes 1976, pp. 240, 246, 249 and 251.
  7. ^ "Croft (Neasham)". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  8. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 71.
  9. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 97.
  10. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 40.
  11. ^ Sturtivant, Hamlin & Halley 1997, p. 138.
  12. ISSN 2516-5348
    .

Bibliography

External links
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