Who was Donald Campbell, Bluebird K7's famous pilot?

Bluebird K7, the iconic water-speed record breaking hydroplane, made its return to Coniston over the weekend.

Thousands of onlookers lined the streets to see the boat driven to the village's Ruskin museum on the back of a truck.

Among the crowd was Gina Campbell, the daughter of Bluebird's famous pilot Donald Campbell who died in 1967 in a high speed crash on Coniston Water.

But who was Donald Campbell, a man whose name has become synonymous with Coniston in the decades since the fatal accident?

Who was Donald Campbell?

The son of Sir Malcolm Campbell, the charismatic and patriotic Donald was destined to follow in his father's footsteps. His father was a world speed record holder on land and water. Sir Malcolm was one of the few record breakers of his era to die of natural causes rather than in a crash.

Between 1955 and 1964, the younger Campbell set seven water-speed world records in his Bluebird K7 craft. Four of these were on Coniston Water.

In July 1964 he claimed the land speed prize at Lake Air salt flats in Australia, recording a speed of 403mph. He remains the only person to break the world land and water speed records in the same year.

Three years later, he and Bluebird were back on Coniston Water trying to reach 300mph. Adverse weather caused severe delays in the record attempt, causing frustration in the team and in the media.

Campbell eventually saw an opportunity for the attempt on 4 January 1967. Travelling at around 300mph, Bluebird left the surface of the lake, somersaulted and plunged nose-first into the water. Donald was killed instantly.When K7 was recovered from the lake in 2001, Donald Campbell's body was also found. He was buried in Coniston where both he and his boat will now remain.

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