Head-and-part-shoulders bronze bust, mounted on a slightly tapered cube of veined green marble. The sitter faces forward, with neatly combed short hair, in informal sea-going rig of a duffel-coat over a seaman's smock and roll-neck sweater.

The piece is signed 'D-S / 41' on the left breast, near the lapel. It was commissioned by the War Artists Advisory Committee and transferred on permanent loan from the Imperial War Museum in November 1947.

Stannard was a Royal Naval Reserve lieutenant in command of the armed trawler HMS 'Arab' at Namsos, Norway, during the Norwegian campaign of 1940. He was awarded the VC for conspicuous bravery from 28 April to 2 May when 'Arab' survived 31 bombing attacks in five days. In one incident Stannard tackled a wharf fire caused by a bomb igniting ammunition. As there was no water ashore he ran 'Arab's' bows against the wharf and sent most of his men aft, while he and two others fought the fire with hoses for two hours. Part of the wharf was saved, which helped the subsequent evacuation from Namsos. When 'Arab' was damaged he put his crew and that of two other trawlers ashore in an armed camp under a cliff and then fought off air attack on them by day and kept anti-submarine watch by night from the ship. He also saved her by moving her in hazardous circumstances when another trawler nearby was hit by a bomb. Finally, when leaving the fjord, he defied an enemy bomber that tried to force him into captivity or be sunk. He held his course and fire until it was within 800 yards, then shot it down and got the damaged 'Arab' back to England. His VC citation, gazetted on 16 August 1940, stated that his actions caused many enemy casualties and saved many other lives, his defence being so skilful that only one of the men under his command was wounded.

Dyson-Smith (fl. 1919-44), the sculptor, is not a well documented. He trained at the RA Schools and in Munich and mostly exhibited in London, including 44 works at the Royal Academy. The Museum also has his bust of Admiral Sir Charles Little (SCU0036) which, like this one, was a WAAC commission and was transferred from the Imperial War Museum.