55 years to the day after one of Cumbria's most iconic figures' untimely demise, his wife's ashes have been laid to rest alongside him.
The ashes of Tonia Bern-Campbell, who died in June last year aged 93, were interred, according to her wishes, beside those of her late husband Donald Campbell CBE, who tragically died during an attempt to break his own water speed record on Coniston Water in 1967 in his famous Bluebird K7 craft.
Donald Campbell’s daughter, Gina, her partner Brian, and friends and officials of the Ruskin Museum in Coniston which houses the Bluebird wing, gathered in the cemetery for a moving service on Tuesday 4 January which was conducted by the Reverend Brian Streeter, Parish priest in Coniston.
The occasion was also marked by the unveiling of a new addition to the Campbell exhibition in the Ruskin Museum - a Land Rover built in 1959 as part of a sponsorship for Donald Campbell’s world land speed record attempt in Utah in the United States in 1960, which was acquired by the Hadwin family in 1967 from the Campbell estate.
Gina Campbell said: "This is a generous loan from the Hadwin Family, of an iconic and historic piece of 'Great' British engineering, with a huge fan base of followers."
The Land Rover had been used as a recovery vehicle before being put to pasture in the 1970s, and has been totally restored before being loaned to the museum, which Gina said was fitting:
"So very apt that it should have been used, and is now housed, where it will be, in due course. alongside another iconic historical piece of 'Great' British engineering, Bluebird K7."
Deputy Chairman of the Museum Trustees Jeff Carroll said:
"This long-term loan is a very welcome addition to the Bluebird display - it helps to broaden the story the Museum is able to tell about the Campbell speed dynasty, with absolute provenance.
"We are extremely grateful to the Hadwin family for their offer of the vehicle which has been lovingly restored to a high standard.
"It should appeal to both Campbell and Land Rover fans alike and we look forward to the day when it can be seen alongside Bluebird K7 in the Bluebird Wing.
"This is, we believe a sister vehicle to the one used at Utah, Lake Eyre and at the 1966/7 Coniston record campaign, that vehicle we understand having been scrapped a number of years ago."
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