"A returned soldier who fell from Grafton Bridge shortly after 10am on Monday died early this morning in the Auckland Hospital. He was Thomas Herbert Battley, aged 29, single of Piopio. He was seen to climb over the wire fence midway across the bridge, then fall into Grafton Gully.He was recovered from the gully by police and  ambulance men, and was taken to the hospital suffering from a fractured arm and hip. An inquest will opened by the Coroner, Mr. A. Addison to-morrow morning." [Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 276,  21st November 1945]

"The possibility that a returned soldier in ill-health jumped to his death from the Grafton bridge because he thought he was doing commando work was mentioned by a relative at the inquest into the death of Thomas Herbert Battley, aged 23. who died in hospital on November 21 from injuries suffered in a fall from the bridge two days previously. Clifford Lewis Goodwin said he was driving a car over the bridge when he saw a pedestrian start to run. drop his overcoat, and climb the wire guard on the parapet of the bridge. The witness stopped his car, but was too late to prevent the man climbing to the top of the wire guard and throwing himself into the gully below. A cousin of Battley, Cecil Henry Battley, said that Thomas Battley was a single farm-hand living near Te Kuiti. He saw service overseas, returning to New Zealand 15 months ago. On his return he suffered from dysentery, nerves, and sleeplessness. After undergoing medical treatment in the country he came to Auckland to see a psychiatrist, with whom he had an appointment on the day of the tragedy. “He had a substantial sum of money in his possession, and I cannot account for his subsequent action,” said the witness. "I can only assume he might have imagined he was doing commando work. 1 understand that when told in hospital that he had gone over the bridge, he said: ‘Grafton bridge? What was I doing there?’ " The Coroner (Mr A. Addison) returned a verdict that death was due to shock, hemorrhage, and multiple injuries sustained when Battley jumped from the bridge when in a state of ill-health." [Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24749, 14 December 1945, Page 3]