Deepcut victim Cheryl James' death to feature in play

Jun 3 2008 By David Simister

Cheryl James

THE deaths of four British soldiers at Deepcut - including Llangollen's Cheryl James - are to be serialised on stage later this year staged by families affected by the tragedies.

Private Cheryl James, from Froncysllte, was 18 when she was found dead in controversial circumstances at the Deepcut army barracks in over a decade ago.

Now parents of two other late soldiers, are hoping to stage a play about their experiences, to be shown at the Live Theatre in Newcastle in October and November.

"I am hoping it pricks the public conscience again. It shows just how badly we have been treated as families of soldiers" said parent Geoff Gray, whose son - also called Geoff - died at the location.

The title, Geoff dead: Disco for Sale stems from that only the first five words of one of the soldiers’ death notices in a newspaper were free.

Organised by the families of Privates Geoff Gray and James Collinson, who also died at Deepcut barracks, the play is said to dramatise the frustration, anger and even black humour in the light of the soldiers’ deaths.

Cheryl was found dead with a bullet through her forehead in woodland outside the barracks in 1995

Her controversial death, seen by the army as suicide, was one of four similar but unexplained incidents at the site between 1995 and 2002. An inquest into her death recorded an open verdict.

The Ministry of Defence announced the closure of the Deepcut barracks in January, as part of an overhaul of its training facilities.