Somerville returned late in 1939 after tuberculosis had forced him out of active service. His background in wireless telegraphy gave him an unusual grasp of radar at a moment when the Royal Navy had lost other technically minded senior officers. His work helped the service adopt radar quickly. He then joined Admiral Bertram Ramsay as the Dunkirk evacuation staff expanded under emergency pressure. His success there, together with Ramsay's support, restored his standing as a candidate for operational command.
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Radar expertise and the return to wartime service
Recalled after illness, Somerville applied his signals background to radar before helping Admiral Ramsay expand the Dunkirk staff.