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This Day 50 Years Ago


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Old 04-01-2017, 13:05
HenryGarten
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Do you remember this day 50 years ago? It was the day that Bluebird crashed on Coniston Water while Donald Campbell was trying to set a new water speed record.

Very sad day.

See Donald Campbell's daughter marks 50th anniversary of Bluebird crash
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Old 04-01-2017, 13:15
bri160356
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Do you remember this day 50 years ago? It was the day that Bluebird crashed on Coniston Water while Donald Campbell was trying to set a new water speed record.

Very sad day.

See Donald Campbell's daughter marks 50th anniversary of Bluebird crash
I can remember his last words:

”…I’ve gone! ”;….milliseconds later he was decapitated in the maelstrom.
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Old 04-01-2017, 13:43
HenryGarten
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There is a documentary about the search for Bluebird

I think they aired it on the day of the 2001 general election
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Old 04-01-2017, 13:56
Jaycee Dove
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According to my diary Tom Jones was number one with Green, Green Grass of Home and That Man Flintstone (???) was on at the local cinema where I had Dandelion and Burdock out of a barrel at the Temperance Bar next door as well. It was foggy and I was struggling to make a periscope for science class at school.
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Old 04-01-2017, 14:44
bri160356
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According to my diary Tom Jones was number one with Green, Green Grass of Home and That Man Flintstone (???) was on at the local cinema where I had Dandelion and Burdock out of a barrel at the Temperance Bar next door as well. It was foggy and I was struggling to make a periscope for science class at school.


“Our Man Flint”,…but near enough after 50 years!
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Old 04-01-2017, 14:50
Moany Liza
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Do you remember this day 50 years ago? It was the day that Bluebird crashed on Coniston Water while Donald Campbell was trying to set a new water speed record.

Very sad day.

See Donald Campbell's daughter marks 50th anniversary of Bluebird crash
Not really.

I was only 3.
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Old 04-01-2017, 15:14
swingaleg
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I don't suppose it was on this precise day 50 years ago but around that time I also saw Our Man Flint at 'the flicks'

And around that time me and a mate were in the habit of walking home from school (probably a couple of miles) and stopping off at the Temperance Bar for a pint of home brew Sarsaparilla from the barrel............

I remember the Donald Campbell tragedy, He was something of a dashing Boy's Own Hero as was his father before him. They were a very famous family
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Old 04-01-2017, 15:17
GusGus
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Harold Wilson was PM, and applied to join the Common Market as the EU was called then
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Old 04-01-2017, 15:43
dee123
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According to my diary Tom Jones was number one with Green, Green Grass of Home and That Man Flintstone (???) was on at the local cinema where I had Dandelion and Burdock out of a barrel at the Temperance Bar next door as well. It was foggy and I was struggling to make a periscope for science class at school.
Yabba Dabba Doo!
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Old 04-01-2017, 18:22
HenryGarten
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Harold Wilson was PM, and applied to join the Common Market as the EU was called then
He got turned down too.
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Old 04-01-2017, 20:09
Jaycee Dove
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“Our Man Flint”,…but near enough after 50 years!
I was very young so The Flintstones was about my level then. But that is what I wrote in my diary. Probably my brother took me and I was wishing it was the Flintstones!
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Old 04-01-2017, 20:12
Andrew1954
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He got turned down too.
If only we'd had the sense to walk away!
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Old 04-01-2017, 20:12
Jaycee Dove
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Well, well. Turns out my diary was right.

Thought Our Man Flint did not sound like my kind of film.

The Man Called Flintstone was a 1966 cartoon feature. You can find it on You Tube.

So that was what I was watching after all!

Looks like it was a spoof of Our Man Flint.
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Old 04-01-2017, 20:36
Phil Dodd
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For anyone who doesn't know the detail but may be interested, this is what was said on Five Live this morning.

There was a threat of some Americans taking the record, so Donald Campbell wanted to take a decisive lead. He had been at Coniston Water since November, but either it was too rough, or the boat was not perfect. Today was the first one that all was right.

What he had to do was to do two runs over a kilometre and take the average for the record to be official. He needed to get an average - in a boat - of over 300 MPH. That's the speed that a Spitfire aircraft flies at...

His first run was 297 MPH. He immediately turned round and made the return run. The iunofficial timing of the second run was 327 MPH. When the boat left the water, he was ending the run and was slowing down.

Before starting the challenge to his own previous record, the designers noted that the boat would be light on the front and might be prone to leaving the water if exceeding the safe operating limits. The boat had a bouyancy float at each side, and apparently it began to rock from side to side before the front lifted up, with the disastrous outcome.

This man in his own way was a hero, pushing the boundaries of technology and design to their limits. Our thoughts today must be with his daughter, the team he worked with, family and friends.

Please note that the information above was as told on Five Live news this morning, so I'm repeating it in good faith It is important that anyone unaware of what he was trying to achieve gets an idea of the extraordinary difficulties that he faced in the attempt, and so can appreciate just how brave a man that he was.

Thanks.
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Old Yesterday, 00:36
hooter
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50 years ago today........Hmmmmmm....... I was struggling to make sense of life, mine in particular! Now, oh to be 50 years younger with the knowledge I now have . I would have made different choices and possibly had a much happier life.

Remember the Bluebird disaster and how shocked everyone was by it.......RIP Donald Campbell
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Old Yesterday, 08:42
phylo_roadking
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I don't suppose it was on this precise day 50 years ago but around that time I also saw Our Man Flint at 'the flicks'

And around that time me and a mate were in the habit of walking home from school (probably a couple of miles) and stopping off at the Temperance Bar for a pint of home brew Sarsaparilla from the barrel............

I remember the Donald Campbell tragedy, He was something of a dashing Boy's Own Hero as was his father before him. They were a very famous family
Maybe too famous. Over the years there's been a lot said about how domineering and neglectful father Malcolm was, driven by his own internal speed demons...and how Donald was consciously or unconsciously competing with his father, or still trying to catch his attention
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Old Yesterday, 16:04
davelovesleeds
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I remember it as if it was 50 years ago yesterday.
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Old Yesterday, 19:53
bri160356
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Maybe too famous. Over the years there's been a lot said about how domineering and neglectful father Malcolm was, driven by his own internal speed demons...and how Donald was consciously or unconsciously competing with his father, or still trying to catch his attention
Not sure if this docu has been shown before:

11.00pm tonight BBC4; …“Donald Campbell: Speed King”
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Old Yesterday, 19:55
HenryGarten
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Not sure if this docu has been shown before:

11.00pm tonight BBC4; …“Donald Campbell: Speed King”
It is a repeat but I do not think I have seen it. Thanks for the alert.
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Old Yesterday, 20:01
RobinOfLoxley
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Don't forget James May bravely re-assembling a Food Mixer later too.

Rule, Britannia!
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