Donald
Campbell (23rd March 1921 to 4th January 1967)
Donald Campbell
was a British speed record breaker who broke eight world records for traveling
at water and land in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1964 he set world land and water
speed records in the same year which still remains unsurpassed.
On a run up to
the Lake District I just had to look for this grave. It’s in a cemetery that’s
more like a field than anything else. No church. No foundations jutting out of
the soil where a chapel once stood. I found the headstone but I doubt there’s
little under it as the body wasn’t recovered until 2001 after lying under water
for 34 years (the torso was still dressed in blue overalls but the head was
missing.)
Though Donald
died under Coniston Water in the Lake District he was born down south in
Kingston upon Thames. He’d probably be alive today but his dad was Sir Malcolm
Campbell who held 13 world speed records in the 1920s and 30s (in cars and
boats) so he obviously felt propelled to followed in pop’s footsteps.
As the Second
World War began Donald tried to join the Royal Air Force but a case of
childhood rheumatic fever meant he’d never served. Instead he joined a car
manufacturing company in West Thurrock as a maintenance engineer. After his dad
died in 1948 he dedicated himself to breaking speeds records on water. Oddly this pragmatic engineering-minded man
was superstitious, hating the colour green and the number thirteen. He believed
nothing good ever happened on a Friday. He was also interested in the
paranormal (was a member of the Ghost Club.)
He married first
at age 24 and went onto marry another two times; there was one daughter.
I won’t bore you
with the list of records he broke and you probably only know him for the crash
and death at Coniston Water when Bluebird flipped into the air and then sank. On
the morning of 4th January 1967 Donald expected to break the water speed record
and live to break others. The boat, Bluebird K7, was fitted with a Bristol
Orpheus engine taken from a Folland Gnat jet aircraft
and the target was to exceed 300 mph. At 8.45 am on 4th January 1967
he moved Bluebird slowly out towards the middle of the lake and lined her up.
He applied full throttle and Bluebird rocketed away. At 8:46am he passed the
first marker buoy at about 285 mph. Seconds later he’d passed the kilometre
mark at 310 mph.
Perhaps he
should have stopped as the record was broken but he decided to make the return
run immediately without refuelling. He accelerated hard to a peak speed of 328
mph. Bluebird was now bouncing and executed an almost complete somersault.
Donald’s last words on the intercom were “I can't see anything...I've got the
bows out...I'm going...U-hh...”
Bluebird cartwheeled
across the water before coming to rest, broke and the main hull sank shortly
afterwards. Royal Navy divers made efforts to recover Donald. They only found
his teddy bear mascot Mr Whoppit and helmet. Later
they found the wreck of the boat but called off the search after two weeks
without locating his body.
The wreckage of
Bluebird and Donald were recovered between October 2000 and May 2001. It still
contained fuel.
Donald was
buried here where I’m stood after his coffin was carried down the lake and a
funeral service was then held at St Andrew's Church nearby attended by his
widow Tonia, daughter Gina and other family members. The story was obliterated
by media due of the 9/11 attacks in the United States.
The link is
here…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE2rxSQ5_tg
The entrance to the cemetery…
Can you spot my by the grave?...
Seconds from death…
I found another war grave in the
cemetery. You just have to salute…
Donald died on Coniston Water…
Bluebird being recovered…
