South Bank Road was the location where the Luftwaffe (The German Air Force) dropped their first bombs in Middlesbrough. It was the 25th May 1940, and a lone bomber fired above South Bank a load of 13 separate bombs. They were the first to strike a major British town, and specifically targeted Middlesbrough because of how much industry there is here.

​

They fell between South Bank Road and South Steel Plant. The plant is no longer there, and is now a Go Kart track not far from the Speedway. A football ground was south of the road and actually struck this too, and left a large crater in the pitch! The bomber was forced to reroute after a group of RAF fighters were scrambled to intercept the German plane. Two months after, the Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited the town to meet the people of Middlesbrough as well as inspect damage and the defences on the coast.