Bluebird Relics up for Auction
Born in 1921 in Kingston-Upon-Thames, Donald Campbell was the son of Sir Malcom Campbell a speed record breaker. This family passion for both land and water speed records led Donald Campbell to become a distinguished record breaker himself. Between 1955 and 1964 he broke seven speed records in the Bluebird K7 and for his successes was awarded a CBE in 1957. In 1964, he managed to become the first person to break a World Land and World Water Speed Record in the same year, reaching 276.33mph on Lake Dumbleyung in Western Australia on the final day of the year.
Unfortunately, on 4th January 1967 Campbell’s life was sadly cut short when he was killed in an attempt to take the Water Speed Record and reach 300mph on Coniston Water. Following this he was posthumously awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct in 1967. His life and career left a lasting impact on the word of speed record breaking.
Plymouth Auction Rooms have some relics of this fatal final mission up for auction. A plastic buoyancy bag that was nestled among many others in the hull of Bluebird K7 when it went down, as well as a compressor stator blade from the mechanism. A limited edition model of Bluebird K7 together with another will also be included in the collection, and will be available as lot 233 in the Antiques and Collectables Auction on the 24th February.
