A group portrait of the Royal Naval and civilian personnel based at HMS Vernon, Portsmouth. ...

A group portrait of the Royal Naval and civilian personnel based at HMS Vernon, Portsmouth. Identified from left to right, back row: Lieutenant (Lt) John Stuart Mould, GC, GM, Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RANVR); Lt Wadsley, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR); Lt Ellis, Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve; Mr Leadbeater, Clerk; Mr Preston, Gunner (T); Lt Clayton, RNVR; Mr Ball, Gunner (T); Mr Martin, Gunner (T); Mr Brown, Gunner (T); Lt Hight, RNVR; and Mr Cook, Gunner (T).
Second row: Mr Pearson, Clerk; Lt Nicholson RNVR; Lt Jennings, Royal Navy (RN); Lieutenant Commander (Lt Cdr) Elliott, RN; Lt Hugh Randall Syme, GC, GM and Bar, RANVR; Lt Cdr Armitage, RNVR; Lt Griffiths, RN; Lt Rowlandson, RN; Lt Hodges, RNVR; Lt Cleverley, RN; and Mr Williams, Draughtsman.
Third row: Mr Wood, Clerical Officer; Lt Cdr Glenny, RN; Lt Cdr Morley, RN; Lt Cdr Macdonald, RN; Commander (Cdr) Thistleton-Smith, RN; Cdr Ouvry, RN; Lt Cdr Harper, RN; Lt Cdr McVittie, RN; and Lt Frary, RN.
Front row: Wren Newman, Writer; Wren McElroy, Motor Transport; Third Officer Noble; Leading Wren Cook, Writer; Wren Seymour, Motor Transport; and Miss Veke, Shorthand Typist.
Lt John Stuart Mould (later Lt Cdr) worked with the Royal Navy Rendering Mines Safe section and was awarded the George Cross and the George Medal. When his appointment was terminated in November 1945, he then worked as an architect with the allied military government in Germany helping with the reconstruction. After returning to Australia in 1948 he continued to work as an architect and became the Chief Architect to the Housing Commission of NSW.
Lt Hugh Randall Syme was based at HMS Vernon, Portsmouth, from 1940 to 1942. He rapidly developed a reputation for bravery, especially in delousing the unfamiliar German magnetic mines. He was awarded the George Cross and the George Medal and Bar for a string of successful mine recoveries. In January 1943 he returned to Australia and was appointed as the Commanding Officer of a bomb disposal section at HMAS Cerberus. He left the Navy in 1944, returning to the family business of running The Age newspaper in Melbourne.