I am wondering whether Vernard was a mis-transcription for something else, e.g. Vernon or Bernard? B and V are easily mistaken for each other when spoken...

...I've had a look on the Internet since writing this and to my surprise Vernard is a name, so it could have been Vernard after all. It's a German name derived from Bernard. There is the Gilbert Vernard Tyler born in March 1908 in Croyden who I can check for more details when I go to the local library as it has a full subscription to Ancestry.