Middlesbrough was vitally important to Britain's war effort. The town and surrounding area included many critical industries such as shipbuilding, chemicals, iron, steel, and engineering, as well as a timber business that played a leading role in the aviation industry during the war. The ICI factory in nearby Billingham also made significant contributions to the creation of petrochemicals and explosives.

Like many communities, the start of the war found Middlesbrough speeding up the strengthening of civil defense services and preparation for air raids. Due to its strategic importance, it was considered an obvious target for the Luftwaffe. As a result, schoolchildren and other vulnerable people were evacuated from the town at the beginning of the war, in a plan that proved not entirely successful.

Middlesbrough became the first densely populated urban area on mainland Britain to be bombed. Throughout the war, Middlesbrough was the target of periodic attacks, with the most destructive occurring on the night of 25th/26th July 1942, when waves of Luftwaffe bombers dropped nearly 30 tons of bombs on the town. This attack cost the lives of 16 people and caused extensive property damage. A few days later, bombs fell on the town's railway station while a train was waiting at the platform. Images of the damage were circulated worldwide.