JANUARY 4, 1967: a day that lives proudly in the memory of many Cumbrians. Fifty years ago today, speed ace Donald Campbell made a last brave attempt to smash his own world water speed record. It cost him his life. PHIL COLEMAN reports

DONALD Campbell died a hero. From a distance of 50 years, the world will today look back with pride on how this feisty, charismatic man paid the ultimate price for his determination to continue striving for a long-cherished dream: to smash his own world water speed record.

Though told many times, his story is tragic – yet ultimately inspiring.

And today, just days after several British Olympians were honoured for their achievements at the Rio last year, Campbell's efforts to push the boundary of what is humanly possible seem more relevant than ever.

The 46-year-old came tantalisingly close to achieving his goal on Coniston Water on that fateful day in 1967, as he piloted Bluebird, a now iconic jet-powered hydroplane, in an attempt to beat his own record of 276.33mph.

Grainy black and white film footage captured the final moments of a man whose life and death have gone down in British – and Cumbrian – history.

As the Bluebird K7 hydroplane sped across the lake, Campbell's voice came over his radio, telling his support crew: “... I can't see anything. I've got the bows out... I'm going.”

Then silence. Just the radio's static hiss and the awful realisation that something truly terrible had just happened.

The son of Sir Malcolm Campbell, who himself broke 14 world speed records, Donald Campbell seemed destined to follow a similar path as his father, pushing the boundaries of human and technological possibility.

Indeed, it was Sir Malcolm Campbell who first attempted to set speed records on Coniston in 1939, so in some ways Donald Campbell was honouring his father; giving fresh life to his father's ambition.

Donald began his own water speed records using his father's old boat, K4, modifying and improving it. But with his new all-metal K7 craft, the water speed boundaries were to be pushed even further.

In K7, Campbell set seven world water speed records, four of them on Coniston Water.

Those achievements earned fame for both Campbell and K7, which he took on tour across the UK and the USA. It also went to Australia in the early 1960s as Campbell attempted to break the land speed record.

His courage and determination helped earn him a CBE in 1957.

On that fateful day in 1967, Donald Campbell was attempting to break his own record, aiming to push Bluebird beyond 300mph.

Astonishingly, in December 1964, he had last broken the water speed record in December 1964, at Lake Dumbleyung near Perth, Western Australia, becoming the first person to set both land and water speed records in the same year.

In preparation for this, he gave K7 a new engine.

Understandably, there was huge excitement on the day of his final attempt to break the 300mph water speed barrier. As the world's press watched, Bluebird K7 attained an average speed of 297mph over the first kilometre on Consiton Water.

As he turned north for the final leg of the attempt, he reached a speed significantly above 300mph.

Then, just 183 metres from the finish line, and a split second before he broke his own speed record, Bluebird’s nose lifted.

The craft somersaulted and disintegrated as it hit the water.

Campbell died instantly.

Years later, his proud daughter Gina, herself a record-breaking speed boat driver, said of him: “My father had enormous charisma and depending on his mood could turn a funeral into a party.”

An equally fitting comment came during his memorial service.

In the tribute, Campbell's importance was summed up perfectly with the words: "Britain and the world have such need of the indomitable spirit, the sheer dedication, the unconquerable determination that he had.”

In 1967 Campbell was posthumously awarded the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct for the courage and determination with which he tackled the world water speed record.