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Donald John Campbell

Age: 36

Sex: male

Date: 26 Jul 1939

Place: Kings Cross Station, London

Donald John Campbell died in an IRA bomb explosion.

Donald Campbell was a doctorate and a lecturer at Edinburgh University and had been going to Cambridge for a lecture with his wife. He had stayed in London the previous night with his brother and had left to catch the 2pm train.

They had just arrived at the station and Donald Campbell's wife was in the act of looking in her handbag to pay the taxi fare to the driver that had just brought them there when the bomb exploded.

A cloakroom attendant at King's Cross said that an attache case was near the window and that it was handed in in the ordinary way. He said that there was then a puff of smoke, a flash and then a bang. He said that he could not say when the case was deposited. It was noted that the cloakroom attendant had also been injured and at the time he gave evidence was still lame.

Donald Campbell's wife was treated for leg injuries and another person was taken to hospital with her.

Donald Campbell was taken to the Royal Free Hospital where he later died three hours later.

Donald Campbell had died from shock and loss of blood from his injuries.

The police said that they had no evidence at all that could usefully be put before a tribunal in relation to the nature or character of the package or attache case and added that there was no direct evidence that could lead them at that moment to charge any particular person, even if he or she were amenable to justice.

An open verdict was returned stating that he died following a bomb explosion.

Donald Campbell had lived in Kilmaurs Road in Edinburgh and had recently married.


*map pointers are rough estimates based on known location details as per Place field above.

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Gloucestershire Echo - Thursday 28 September 1939

see Dundee Evening Telegraph - Friday 11 August 1939

see Northants Evening Telegraph - Saturday 12 August 1939

see Gloucestershire Echo - Friday 11 August 1939

see Nottingham Journal - Saturday 12 August 1939

see Derby Daily Telegraph - Friday 11 August 1939

see Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail - Friday 28 July 1939

see Dundee Evening Telegraph - Thursday 28 September 1939

see Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette - Friday 11 August 1939

see Nottingham Evening Post - Thursday 28 September 1939

see Leicester Daily Mercury - Friday 11 August 1939

see Lancashire Evening Post - Friday 28 July 1939

see Liverpool Evening Express - Friday 28 July 1939