Cash storm engulfs soldiers' mental health service backed by Prince Harry


The co-founder of a veterans’ suicide prevention network backed by Prince Harry is facing calls to resign over claims of misuse of funds and inappropriate relationships.

Stephen James, 33, launched All Call Signs following the tragic death of a former soldier in his old regiment. The award-winning company runs SOS services for traumatised troops and is credited with saving many lives.

Mr James, who served in Northern Ireland with the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, is alleged to have misused company funds generated from public donations, sponsorships and NHS contracts.

Speaking to the Mail last night, Mr James admitted ‘things could have been done better’ on the financial side of the business. He denied any misconduct but refused to comment on ‘individual transactions’ from company accounts.

Disputes over the management of All Call Signs are understood to have led another co-founder Dan Arnold, and Vivienne Marshall, the mother of a soldier whose suicide inspired the formation of the company, to quit in recent months.

Meeting: Harry and Meghan meet Vivienne Marshall at an awards ceremony in 2019

Meeting: Harry and Meghan meet Vivienne Marshall at an awards ceremony in 2019

All Call Signs Limited was set up in October 2018 following the death of Afghan war veteran Danny Johnson, 35, who killed himself after losing a battle with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The former infantryman, who also served in Iraq and Bosnia, was found dead in woods near his home in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, three days after his disappearance.

In a bid to reduce the numbers of traumatised troops taking their lives, Mr Johnson’s mother joined forces with two of his former comrades, Mr James and Mr Arnold, to form All Call Signs.

Under scrutiny: Northern Ireland veteran Stephen James

Under scrutiny: Northern Ireland veteran Stephen James

The company, which does not have charitable status, runs a text messaging service and a helpline for troops who are feeling suicidal and has pioneered ‘Beacon’ technology to locate missing soldiers who may harm themselves.

All Call Signs, based in Portsmouth, recovered 66 veterans within a 12-month period using its support network of former soldiers, volunteers and families.

These successes led to a ‘Points of Light’ award from the Prime Minister. In a letter to Mr James and Mr Arnold, Boris Johnson said he was ‘lost in admiration’ for how they had drawn on their military expertise to create technical support services for PTSD sufferers.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex wore All Call Signs wristbands when they met Mr Johnson’s mother at an awards in 2019.

But according to Companies House, All Call Signs Limited was struck off in March 2020. It had failed to present any accounts and it remains unclear how much money it received and how much was spent on veterans services, staff salaries and administration.

The company now trades as The All Call Signs Group. It was incorporated in May 2019 but again has yet to file accounts.

An adviser to All Call Signs, Lana Watson, also resigned and in emails to Mr James she questioned various expenditures apparently not covered by his salary, understood to be less than £30,000.

All Call Signs Limited was set up in October 2018 following the death of Afghan war veteran Danny Johnson, 35, who killed himself after losing a battle with post-traumatic stress disorder

All Call Signs Limited was set up in October 2018 following the death of Afghan war veteran Danny Johnson, 35, who killed himself after losing a battle with post-traumatic stress disorder

She also queried Mr James’s personal relationships with a corporate sponsor of All Call Signs and later with a senior health worker at Solent NHS Trust.

Mr James confirmed last night that since 2020 the firm has been contracted by Solent NHS Trust to provide ‘peer support staff’. He declined to reveal the contract’s value but insisted it was in place before he met the health worker.

He added: ‘I acknowledge things could have been done better, managed better. But that is for me and my team to discuss in privacy. I deny there has been financial misconduct of any kind. I am not going to comment on individual transactions. But I would strongly deny that one or two transactions being taken out of context constitutes anything like mismanagement.

‘There was also no wrongdoing in either of those relationships and Solent NHS Trust is aware of my current relationship. It has been cleared by the trust.’

On why Mr Johnson’s mother and Mr Arnold had resigned, Mr James said: ‘There has been some explanation as to their side of things. But I am not going to speak for somebody else.’

Solent NHS Trust said: ‘We have recently been made aware of some concerns raised by other parties regarding All Call Signs. The service being provided by All Call Signs continues to perform well and we are working with them to look into the issues raised as per our usual contractual assurance processes.’

Leave a Reply