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Lt. Hugh Randall Syme GC GM.
Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve HMS Vernon
from:Australia
Melbourne-born Hugh Syme had a lifelong involvement in the newspaper industry. He was awarded the George Cross and the George Medal and Bar for his brave work in dealing with enemy mines. Returning to Victoria, he set up a mine disposal section before leaving the navy to return to business in 1944.
Lt 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 later awarded the Bar to the George Medal (1942) and the George Cross (1943) 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.
