Indeed! The "household name" of the 1930s and 1940s was of course
Sir Malcolm Campbell, holder of the World Land Speed Record in "
Bluebird"
But where does a pogostick come into WWII?
Well, late in the autumn 0f 1943, a set of low-level aerial recce pictures of
Normandy (the place!) in preparation for
D-Day (the event!) showed a strange set of shadows where the sand at the top of one of the planned beaches met the normal coastal vegetation. Enquiries via the Resistance revealed something the planners hadn't know...that there where areas of root vegetation over laying the sand there, and they suddenly panicked - for THIS would unpredictably vary how the sand on the beach retained...or DIDN'T retain sea water after the tide went out!
This may sound a bit trivial... but how FIRM the sand underfoot would be at certain hours of the day and after or before high tide
factored into how TANKS could be deployed on the beach!
Major panic. So the government approached one man who was expert at how seawater was retained by sand and for how long after high tide etc. - Malcolm Campbell, who's EARLY recordbreaking career had been on Pendine Sands in Engand, before Bonneville Salt Flats in the USA. Campbell said he couldn't say without actually seeing the sand at a time after high tie that would mirror expected conditions in the invasion.
So as Christmas Eve fled into Christmas Day 1943, Sir Malcolm Campbell was put ashore by submarine, together with his chosen piece of testing equipment...a POGOSTICK!...was led through the defences to the area in question, and as Santa and Rudolf, Donner and Blitzen, Prancer and Dancer etc. passed overhead - Sir Malcolm Campbell merrily bounced up and down the firm, water-retaining sand to test if it was firm ENOUGH...
And the Florida resort in the pictures above?
JUNO BEACH! 
"Well, my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle." - Malcolm Reynolds
. You will be a big loss to the community 
) regards,
to you all!
