THE CAMPBELL DYNASTY
Ancestry can be traced to the clan of Campbell of Argyll. Sir Malcolm Campbell's father was a businessman who established a successful firm of diamond merchants providing the benefits that family wealth can bring. Sir Malcolm, however, was successful in his own right - as a Lloyds under-writer which provided the opportunity to actively pursue his interests - initially aviation and later motor racing.
Bluebirds - Blue Birds - BlueBirds
A
day before a classic race at Brooklands, Sir Malcolm went to the London
Whitehall Theatre to watch a play by Maeterlinck - The Blue Bird - based
upon the story of the 'bluebird of happiness' - always tantalisingly close
yet forever beyond reach. Inspired, Malcolm Campbell returned home and
overnight his Darracq car was painted blue and christened 'Bluebird'.
This name was to be applied to all his later cars and boats.
"Life is an eternal challenge, a variant on Maeterlinck's theme that the Bluebird of happiness is by the side of each and everyone of us, always within reach, yet, if pursued to catch and possess is beyond our grasp."
Donald Campbell.
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Photograph of Donald Campbell reproduced by the kind permission of The North West Evening Mail |
DONALD MALCOLM CAMPBELL, CBE. (1921-1967)
Donald initially worked in the City of London then as a travelling salesman, later entering into partnership engaged in the manufacture of power tools. He developed an interest in powerboat racing and following the death of Sir Malcolm, purchased Bluebird K4 from his father's executors.
He married Daphne Harvey in 1945, their daughter, Gina, was born in 1948. Following divorce he married Dorothy McKegg in 1952 but divorced in 1957 and in 1958 married Tonia Bern - in 1989 she married actor Bill Maynard (Greengrass of Heartbeat).
Shortly following Sir Malcolm's death, 'reports' indicated an American challenge to his Water Speed Record and Donald, immensely patriotic, embarked upon a 17 year career that brought success on both land and water.
Utilising Sir Malcolm's old boat (K4) Donald Campbell made a record attempt on Coniston Water in 1951, however the craft travelling at an estimated 170mph suffered a structural failure and sank. After salvage it was stripped and burned.
Undeterred, Donald, together with the Norris brothers, prepared designs for a completely new jet powered boat - Bluebird K7 and construction began mid 1954 at Salmesbury Engineering, Preston.
Between July 1955 and December 1964 Donald Campbell set World Water Speed Records on 7 different occasions to 276.33mph.
It
was following his successful Water Speed Record attempt in November 1955
on
Lake Mead that Donald conceived his ambition to capture the World Land
Speed
Record as well.
Work on the new Bluebird Car began in early 1956 with a requirement to achieve a World Land Speed Record of 400mph+.
After 5 years of design and construction the new car, which weighed some 8000 lbs and was powered by a Bristol Siddeley Proteus engine, represented the best of British engineering. The chassis and body were built by Motor Panels Limited of Coventry. Officially known as CN7 (the C+N standing for Campbell Norris) the car was completed in May 1960 and unveiled at Goodwood for a press preview and trial run.
In August 1960 the car arrived at Bonneville and on the morning of 16th September during the fifth trail run, crashed at some 360mph. The near fatal accident left Campbell with a pierced eardrum and fractured skull but still with the determination to capture the Land Speed Record for Great Britain.
A new venue was selected, dry Lake Eyre in South Australia, and following the re-building of Bluebird a new speed record of 403.10mph was set on the 17th July 1964. Proteus Bluebird (CN7) is on public display at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu.
In December 1964 Donald Campbell raised the World Water Speed Record to 276.3mph on Lake Dumbleyung, Australia, to become the only person ever to have held both records in the same year.
A new American threat to exceed 300mph on Water led to Donald and his team to re-designing Bluebird K7 by fitting a Bristol Orpheus engine and tail fin from a Hawker Siddeley 'Gnat' aircraft. This proved to be a step too far and led to disaster at over 300mph when at Coniston Water on the 4th January 1967 Donald
Campbell was tragically killed attempting to break his own World Water Speed Record.
In
the immediate aftermath of the crash, Royal Navy divers searched for Campbell's
body. At a depth of 140ft they found the hull, Campbell's steering wheel,
seat belt and his lucky mascot, Mr Whoppit. It was to be some 34 years
before Bluebird K7 was raised and Donald Campbell's remains recovered.
Donald Campbell's remains and the wreck of Bluebird K7 were recovered from Coniston Water in 2001. A Service of Remembrance and burial took place at St Andrew's Church, Coniston Village, 12th September 2001.
The Lakeland Motor Museum's replica of Bluebird K7 was commissioned by the BBC for the film entitled 'Across the Lake' starring Anthony Hopkins roled as Donald Campbell - originally broadcast in September 1988.
SIR MALCOLM CAMPBELL (1885-1948)
Malcolm Campbell was born to set records! At the age of 16 whilst being schooled in Germany he won his first cycle race and he was later fined for riding his father's bicycle at 27mph down Box Hill, Surrey, with hands in his pockets!
He once recalled "When I drove my first seven horse power car, I craved for ten. I wanted to experience the sensation of progressive speed."
In 1910 he entered and won his first automobile race at the Brooklands circuit.
During the First World War, Campbell rose from dispatch rider to the rank of Captain. At the end of the war he was discharged and re-entered the racing circuit competing in almost every meeting throughout Europe and commenced his campaign to capture the World Land Speed Record for Great Britain.
His first assault on the record was made at Saltburn Sands, Yorkshire, in 1922, quickly followed by success at the International Speed Trails Meeting on the Danish Island of Fanoe, where on the 23rd June 1923 he attained a terminal speed of 137.320mph.
On the 25th September 1924, at Pendine Sands, in the Sunbeam/Bluebird car, he set a record of 146.16mph. The name Malcolm Campbell and Bluebird became household names, synonymous with record breaking success. Captain Campbell would go on to raise the record in a succession of Bluebird Cars.
Soon after establishing a new record of 246.153mph at Daytona Beach on the 5th February 1931, he returned to England where he was informed that he was to become Sir Malcolm. His final land speed record was set at Bonneville on the 3rd September 1935 - 301.129mph - over 5 miles per minute!
He then turned his attentions to the World Water Speed Record. With the Bluebird Boat designated K3 he raised the water speed record in September 1937 to 129.5mph on Lake Maggiore, Switzerland.
A new Bluebird (K4) was then designed and with this craft Sir Malcolm raised the record to 141.72mph on Coniston Water, in August 1939.
When the Second World War ended in 1945, Sir Malcolm, ever at the forefront of technological advance, decided to re-engine Bluebird K4 with 'Goblin' jet aero engines. Unfortunately this experiment failed and, in declining health, Sir Malcolm died at home peacefully on New Year's Eve 1948 - still holder of the World Water Speed Record. He was finally at rest in his birth place town of Chislehurst, Kent, in the same grave as his mother and father.
Some facts about the original 1935 Bluebird Car which has recently been restored and is now on display at the Daytona International Speedway Circuit, Florida USA:
Engine
: 12 cylinder in two banks, supercharged, Rolls Royce aero-type
developing 2500 bhp (approx.)
Transmission
: Normal clutch, through a 'crash type' three speed gearbox to
back axle via a double propeller shaft.
Wheelbase : 13 ft 8"
Track : 5 ft
Length : 28 ft 3"
Designed by Mr Reid A Railton and constructed by Thomson and Taylor (Brooklands) Limited. The complete car weighs nearly 5 tons and some 90% of the available bhp was required to overcome wind resistance.
Fuel : Special Esso-Ethyl
Oil : Wakefield Patent Castrol
Tyres : Dunlop - pressures, front 125 lb, rear 110 lb
The Lakeland Motor Museum's full sized detailed replica of the 1935 Bluebird Car was commissioned by the BBC for use in the film Speed King in which Robert Hardy and Jennifer Hilary roled as Sir Malcolm and his wife, Dorothy, - broadcast December 1979.