Background
Somerville was born in the Dunedin suburb of Andersons Bay in 1910, the son of Grace Isabella (née Isherwood) and James Cleland Hall Somerville.
Somerville was born in the Dunedin suburb of Andersons Bay in 1910, the son of Grace Isabella (née Isherwood) and James Cleland Hall Somerville.
He attended the University of Otago, graduating with a Master of Arts degree with second class honours in 1935. He then travelled to the United Kingdom, where he studied at Westminster College, Cambridge and the University of Street Andrews.
He returned to New Zealand in 1938 to become the minister at Tapanui. During World World War II, Somerville served as a chaplain with the New Zealand forces from 1942 to 1945, first in Egypt and then in Italy. In 1945, he was awarded the Military Cross.
After the war, he returned to Tapanui, and then moved to the Wellington parish of Street Andrew"s-on-the-Terrace, where he served from 1947 to 1963.
Somerville was Moderator of the General Assembly of New Zealand in 1960-1961. Returning to his home town of Dunedin, Somerville was Master of Knox College from 1964 to 1978.
He was first elected to the University of Otago Council in 1969 and from 1976 to 1982 he served as chancellor of the university.