Lewis/William

david
Last name
Lewis
First name
William James
  • First suicide
  • hurled himself to death on Sunday afternoon. No external injuries, picked up by a launch immediately after his fall, attempts were made to restore animation.
  • Tattooed on the right forearm were a pair of hands clasped over a heart. Clean shaven, at one time his nose had been broken.
  • 49 years old of Paddington, Imperial Service pensioner, no relatives in Sydney. The Repatriation Department will defray the funeral expenses.
  • about 3.15 pm a number of passers-by saw a man climb on to the hand-rail of the footway and sit astride the top - took no notice; thought he was working on the bridge.
  • stopped for a few moments holding to the heavy top rail with both hands, his feet swinging freely. He then le himself fall outwards, released his hands and vanished, struck the water broad of his back
  • 5 ft 3.5 in in height, black hair, bluish grey eyes; dressed in a dark grey tweed suit
  • a passing launch picked up the body, the man having been killed by the terrific impact
  • the police launch then came alongside from the water police depot nearby
  • police officers subjected the body to artificial resuscitation
  • doctors of the opinion that he died of heart failure before striking the water - all his ribs were fractured and his skull broken
  • a returned soldier who was recently discharged from the Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick
  • The City Coroner (Mr E A May) found the deceased threw himself from the bridge while temporarily mentally deranged owing to war injuries.
Date of attempt
Newspaper
The Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 26 April 1932, p. 12
Singleton Argus, 25 April 1932, p 2
The Maitland Daily Mercury, 26 April 1932, p 1
Kalgoorlie Miner, 27 April 1932, p. 5
Singleton Argus, 4 May 1932, p. 2
Gender
Male
status
Died