 Somers-Smith had been elected a member of Leander Club in 1906, after winning the Ladies' Challenge Plate with Eton College, but at no time did he ever represent Leander on the water.He subsequently became a lawyer by profession.Somers-Smith served with the 5th London Regiment (London Rifle Brigade), part of the Territorial Force of the British Army during the First World War, and was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry in action as a captain in 1915 at the 2nd Battle of Ypres.