Constable Ronald Francis SOMMERVILLE
Constable Ronald Francis SOMMERVILLE
Motor Vehicle Accident
Balmain
15 April, 1961
On the morning of the 4 April, 1961 Constable Sommerville was riding a police motor cycle outfit in Darling Street, Balmain. At the intersection of Cooper Street the cycle ran into the rear of a car which had stopped to make a right hand turn. It is thought that the constable’s cap had moved, obscuring his vision for a moment. While grabbing for and adjusting his cap, he failed to see the vehicle in front of him stop. As a result of the collision Constable Sommerville was thrown from the cycle, sustaining severe head injuries. He was conveyed to the Balmain District Hospital where he died on 15 April, 1961.
The constable was born in 1940 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 5 March, 1956 as a cadet. He was sworn in on 9 August, 1959. At the time of his death he was stationed at Balmain.
