“An inquest was held yesterday morning by Mr. F. V. Fraser S.M., into  circumstances attending Charles Frederick Dowsett’s tragic death, which took place at the Wellington Hospital at midnight on Monday. Dr Pattie stated that when he was called to No. 31 Karori Road about 8 p m on Monday he found the deceased lying in the floor in a pool of blood. He was still alive and moaning, and apparently the main blood vessels had not been severed. Witness drew the wound together, and shortly afterwards the man was placed in an ambulance. He railed for a short time, and spoke a few words. Death was due to. loss of blood and shock following upon a self-inflicted wound with a razor.  Frederick William Dowsett, father of the deceased, said his son. who was a single man, 34 years of age returned from the front about four or five weeks ago. On Monday evening he showed signs of having had liquor, and at tea time was somewhat argumentative. He seemed to lose control of himself, and struck witness on the chest, and the next moment  stepped hack, and picking up razor from a ledge in the room, slashed his throat before witness could do anything to interfere. His son did not have himself under proper control, and was at times very much depressed. The news of the death of a mate at. the front upset him very much, and though he had never threatened to commit suicide, he had said that he would be better off the earth than on it. Furthermore since his return from the front, he had been drinking a good deal. The coroner returned a verdict that death was due to shock and haemorrhage, following a wound in the throat, self-inflicted, while in a state of severe mental depression due to war experience.”

[Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 31, 31 October 1918, Page 4]