Donald Campbell
| Donald Campbell | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
Donald Malcolm Campbell 23 March 1921 Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England |
| Died | 4 January 1967 (aged 45) Coniston Water, Lancashire, England |
| Cause of death | High speed crash during Water Speed Record attempt |
| Resting place | Parish Cemetery, Hawkshead Old Road, Coniston |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | 'The Skipper' |
| Occupation | Speed record breaker |
| Known for | Most prolific Water Speed Record breaker of all time |
| Spouse(s) | Daphne Harvey (1945–51) Dorothy McKegg (1952–57) Tonia Bern (1958–67) |
| Children | Georgina (Gina) (1946–) |
| Parent(s) |
Malcolm Campbell Dorothy Evelyn Whittall |
| Awards | Segrave Trophy (1955) |
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Donald Malcolm Campbell CBE (23 March 1921 – 4 January 1967) was a British speed record breaker who broke eight absolute world speed records on water and on land in the 1950s and 1960s. He remains the only person to set both world land and water speed records in the same year (1964). He died during a speed attempt at the Lake District in northern England.
Donald Campbell was born at Canbury House, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, the son of Malcolm, later Sir Malcolm Campbell, holder of 13 world speed records in the 1920s and 30s in the Bluebird cars and boats, and his second wife, Dorothy Evelyn née Whittall.
Campbell attended St Peter's School, Seaford and Uppingham School. At the outbreak of the Second World War he volunteered for the Royal Air Force, but was unable to serve because of a case of childhood rheumatic fever. He joined Briggs Motor Bodies Ltd in West Thurrock, where he became a maintenance engineer. Subsequently, he was a shareholder in a small engineering company called Kine engineering, producing machine tools. Following his father's death on New Year's Eve, 31 December 1948 and aided by Malcolm's chief engineer, Leo Villa, the younger Campbell strove to set speed records first on water and then land.
He married three times: to Daphne Harvey in 1945, producing daughter Georgina (Gina) Campbell, born on 19 September 1949; to Dorothy McKegg in 1952; and to Tonia Bern in December 1958, which lasted until his death in 1967. Campbell was intensely superstitious, hating the colour green, the number thirteen and believing nothing good ever happened on a Friday. He also had some interest in the paranormal, which he nurtured as a member of the Ghost Club.
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