Donald Campbell CBE
Awarded the Segrave Trophy four times:
1955 – for setting a new water speed record of 202.15mph on Ullswater in Bluebird K7.
1958 – for raising the water speed record to 260mph on Lake Coniston in Bluebird K7.
1964 – for becoming the first person since his father Sir Malcolm Campbell to achieve the double feat of raising the water speed record to 276.33mph in Bluebird K7 on Lake Dumbleyung, Australia, and taking the land speed record to 429mph at Lake Eyre in Bluebird CN7.
1966 – posthumously for his outstanding contribution to mechanical development and aerodynamics.
In 1964 Donald became the only British person to set land and water world speed records in the same year. This was the crowning glory for the son of the world-famous World Land Speed record-breaker Sir Malcolm Campbell. Born in 1921, Donald initially used his father’s old boat Bluebird K4, but after a 156mph crash destroyed it in 1951 he developed a new one, Bluebird K7, a jet-propelled hydroplane type producing 4000lbs of thrust. In this he set seven world water-speed records between 1955 and 1964, culminating in 276.33mph at Durnbleyung Lake in Australia. That was also the year be became the fastest man on land too in the jet-propelled Bluebird CN7 ‘car’ at Lake Eyre Salt Flats in Australia, reaching 403.1mph. On 4 January 1967 Campbell achieved 297mph on the outward leg of his latest water speed attempt at Coniston Water, Cumbria, and was travelling at over 300mph on the return run when Bluebird K7 flipped over and he was killed. In 2001 the wreckage and his body were retrieved so Campbell could have a proper burial.
