RAF Croft

RAF Croft, also known as Croft (Neasham), lay in North Yorkshire a short distance south of Darlington, close to the village of Dalton-on-Tees. The station opened in October 1941 as a bomber airfield within No. 4 Group of RAF Bomber Command, and served as a satellite to nearby Middleton St George. It would later pass to the control of the Canadian-manned No. 6 Group (RCAF), reflecting the strong Commonwealth presence in this corner of the bomber offensive.

A succession of squadrons flew from Croft during the war. No. 78 Squadron arrived first, operating Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys and then Handley Page Halifaxes. From late 1942 the field was largely a Canadian station, home to Wellington- and Halifax-equipped units including Nos. 419, 427 and 431 Squadrons RCAF, with No. 1664 Heavy Conversion Unit training crews there in 1943. In the final period Nos. 431 and 434 Squadrons RCAF re-equipped with Avro Lancasters. A serious accident occurred on 22 March 1945, when a Lancaster crashed on take-off and its blockbuster bomb exploded, wrecking nearby buildings.

Flying wound down after the war and the airfield was largely closed by 1946, with only limited later use. The site is best known today as Croft Circuit, a motor-racing venue that has hosted rounds of the British Touring Car Championship.