Before the war he had worked in the NZ Post Office (possibly at Russell). As soon as he was old enough to join up he made his way to England and joined the Royal Navy, including service on the submarine HMS Seraph. Towards the end of the war his service was mainly in the Atlantic [Pacific?] doing survey work.

Post-war Mr Somerville returned to New Zealand. For a period he stayed with donor's parents and worked at Palmer's Hardware store in Fort Street, Auckland. He later worked in various pharmaceutical and drug companies.