06/07/2016 BBC Wales Today

The biggest game Welsh football has ever seen.

A chance to make the final of Euro 2016.

Gareth Bale says he has no intention of leaving now with

And everybody understands where we are, what we have achieved. It is an

incredible journey we have been on, when we are very proud of but the

word is not done yet and we still want to go further.

People have caught football fever, from Machynlleth to Merthyr,

Hey, Wales, get ready to party your Hasselhoff.

Welsh families who lost loved ones in the Iraq War give their reaction

to the findings of the Chilcot Inquiry.

And one hundred years ago tonight, Welsh soldiers were preparing to go

For years in the footballing wilderness, Wales are now

Tonight, an estimated 130 million will be watching across the globe.

The lucky few who've got tickets have started to arrive,

hoping, dreaming, praying their side will overcome Portugal and once

Our first report tonight from Iwan Griffiths.

There is more than one football game going on in Lyon today. Some more

informal than others. All adding to the 2016 summer party for Welsh

fans. They have tasted success, that breeds confidence and they don't

want this to end. The players say they are not burdened by the growing

expectations. The beauty is, there is no pressure on our shoulders. No

matter what happens in the game or the rest of the tournament, it has

been a huge success for Welsh football. Seeing how much it means

for the whole nation, that is a huge driving force for us and motivates

us going into this match. More than half of Wales' population are

respected to watch the game this evening. Over 20,000 are in Lyon.

They have arrived, all eager to be part of a nation's moment in

history. And it will not be just the Welsh watching every moment. The

world is watching Wales. Journalists from all over the globe have

descended on this part of friends. If you had asked these people years

ago with Wales was, they would not know. One more win to get this to

the final and I think we can do it. Whatever happens this evening,

Wales' former manager Gary speed will not be far from the thoughts of

the fans and the squad. When we achieve something, we think about

him, were the words of Captain Ashley Williams. Gary speed died

five years ago, his father is preparing for an emotional night. He

would have been as proud. I am proud of the team. Very proud. He always

said, I always said, why are you taking the Welsh manager's job? He

said, because I am Welsh. He is up there watching. Watching his friend

Chris Coleman lead the Welsh side. It has been a difficult role but the

hard work has paid off. Coleman instrumental in getting the best out

of a special group of players. Once he put his stamp on the team, you

can see the way we have grown, the way we have come on, he has also

grown as a manager, he has understood us as players and

everything has gone in a very upward curve and we are all enjoying it,

all riding the wave and we are all learning of each other and long may

it continue. Music to the ears of the fans in red. They are preparing

for one last trip. A party in Paris on Sunday. Beat Portugal and they

have a place in the final. What a way to top of the journey that will

live for ever in the memory of those who have followed every step of this

remarkable adventure. Nobody has scored more goals

for Wales than Ian Rush and he's tipped the team

to make it to the final, even if it takes

extra time and penalties. Kate Morgan caught up

with him earlier. People said to me, where do

you think Wales can go? I genuinely believed we would get

out of the group stage. I thought them and England would get

out of the group stage Northern Ireland, they did really

well to qualify. People say we are one-man team

but you look at it now, they are doing their job,

but so are all the others. And you have got Joe Allen, most

probably in the first two games, We have actually got

something there. How do you harness that back home

to develop the game? People are standing up

and taking notice. Boys and girls are watching Wales

play on TV We want to carry on to

the World Cup now and that is With the players we have got

and the team spirit and especially the supporters, it has been

a long time coming and now How do you rate their

chances against Portugal? Over 90 minutes, Portugal

have not won a game They have something

but they are capable in the world, we have got

the most expensive player. When I look at it like that,

there is no reason why we can't I think it may take more than 90

minutes but I am quite confident and I am hoping we can be

in Paris on the weekend. Around 20,000 fans have made

the journey to Lyon. Back home there are three million

people just as excited. Ben Price now on how the country

is getting behind the team. The dragon on my shirt. That is all

I need. As the nation prepares for what could be one of its greatest

ever sporting moments, Welsh footballing fever has taken over.

Without a doubt, it is the main story in Wales and it is making

headlines right across the UK. Today, almost everyone wants to be

Welsh. At Saint Josephs Cathedral School in Swansea, they are bursting

with pride. This is where Chris Coleman, the man who has

masterminded Welsh footballing success, grew up. Outside, the

school team is in training. Maybe there is a future player here and

earlier this week they got in touch with Chris Coleman. We sent an

e-mail on Monday morning. By mandated time we had received an

e-mail back from Chris Coleman with a message for the pupils at the

school. A big thank you for the kind

messages from everyone. I hope you are all enjoying this incredible

journey we are on in France. Please say hi to all the pupils. Together

stronger as we say. Kind regards, Chris Coleman.

For some, it has meant a last-minute scramble to the airport. Flights to

Lyon fully booked. We have been boat, train, plane, all sorts of

things so far. I went to every qualifier home and away and I missed

Friday night so I am glad to have the chance to go back out today. The

Assembly also seemed hard pushed to contain the excitement. At this

point I was tempted to leaders all in a rendition of Don't take me

home, please don't take me home, I just want to go to work. And in

Westminster, the Prime Minister took a moment to wish our boys good luck.

They have played superbly and we wish them all the best. In this

small village in North Wales, a giant football shirt has taken over.

In Cardiff, the Englishman who runs the capital's main shopping centre

is closing early at 7pm to allow 4000 staff to get home for kick-off.

And at this small shot in Swansea, there has been unprecedented demand

for flags. We have had to make things overnight. We are doing

everything we can to not disappoint. With just over an hour to go, a

nation prepares to dream and hopefully continue this party to the

final. Reports from the Portugal camp

tonight suggests Gareth Bale's Real Madrid team-mate Pepe is out of the

match. A blow for Portugal, good news for Wales.

Much more from Lyon to come later in the programme.

Senior Welsh politicians are calling tonight for the former

Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair to face prosecution

The Chilcot Inquiry into the war says the UK chose to join

the invasion of Iraq in 2003 "before the peaceful options for disarming

Paul Flynn, the Shadow Welsh Secretary, says prosecution

And the Plaid Cymru AM Adam Price, who once tried to impeach

Mr Blair, said Parliament should put him on trial.

Here's our parliamentary correspondent David Cornock.

14 young men from Wales who died serving their country in Iraq

after an invasion launched, according to the Chilcot Report,

We have concluded that the UK chose to join the invasion of Iraq before

the peaceful options for disarmament had been exhausted.

Military action that time was not a last resort.

Overall, more than 200 British citizens died.

The instability in the region led to 150,000 more deaths.

Among the dead, Lance Corporal Thomas Keys,

a military policeman from Llanuwchllyn near Bala, killed

His father stood for Parliament against Tony Blair and was among

the families who gathered today to read the report.

When I look at Iraq on my TV screen today, the 200 plus deaths that took

place the other day, I can only conclude that

unfortunately and sadly my son died in vain.

These young men and women were deployed on the basis

of a falsehood and now we have had the backing of Sir John.

Tony Blair said he took responsibility but insisted

the British servicemen had not died in vain.

Calls for him to face justice are growing, even among

I think there should be serious consideration to him

It was not clear there should be a case for war.

Ten years ago, Plaid Cymru's Adam Price tried to impeach Tony Blair,

He said today's MPs should try again.

It is only Parliament, which is the highest court

They must do it because actually they were guilty in terms

At the time, most MPs supported the invasion.

Among them, Ann Clwyd, Tony Blair's special envoy

We did it on the basis of the knowledge we had.

Iraq was in breach of 17 UN resolutions in 2003.

Saddam Hussein in 1998 had already killed half

Today's Prime Minister agreed MPs then were acting

We have to be frank, those of us who voted for this,

that the consequences of what followed have

Most people may have made up their minds about the Iraq War

a long time ago but the strength of criticism in today's report makes

it more likely that Tony Blair's opponents will now seek new ways

to make him accountable for a conflict that became

Among the 14 Welsh servicemen to die in Iraq was Peter McFerran

from Flintshire, who was killed in a mortar attack in 2007.

His parents were in London today to hear the report's findings.

They've been speaking to Matt Richards.

From Gwynedd to Neath, the Vale of Glamorgan to Powys.

14 families across Wales received the worst possible news

Bob and Ann McFerran from Connah's Quay hadn't

expected their son Peter to survive more than a few days

Born prematurely, he overcame the odds, and they're

still fundraising to say thank you to the hospital that saved him.

But Peter was killed on his second tour of Iraq with the RAF regiment.

The first time he went out, I was not too concerned.

There was not a lot going on then really.

He came back and said, "I heard a pop.

The next time he went out, it was far different.

The 24-year-old senior aircraftsman died in July 2007 when a mortar

He saved the life of a colleague by laying on top of him.

His father gave evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry and says

Tony Blair should be held to account for taking the country to war.

I think he should be tried for war crimes, definitely.

If I knew the system of how to do a citizen's arrest

and I was close to him I might do it.

As the Iraq Inquiry was finally published, the relatives

of many of the Welsh military personnel who died were in London

We first met Sir John Chilcot in 2009 and we have been waiting

since then but we were not sure what was coming out until he read

We expected it to be a complete whitewash but it wasn't.

Regardless of the report's conclusions, it won't bring

back the sons, fathers, brothers, partners

But Peter McFerran is still a constant presence

People think I'm crazy because I do talk to him.

Sometimes I look at his picture and talk to him.

I just have that feeling, it is just a feeling,

that he is by my side and he is company.

A court has heard that a man on trial for causing death

by dangerous driving was making a last-gasp manoeuvre to avoid

33-year-old Simon Lewis and his unborn son died

on New Year's Eve after Kyle Kennedy crashed into their car

The judge is expected to start summing up tomorrow.

A hundred years ago tonight, Welsh soldiers were preparing to go

The 38 Division, made up of soldiers from across Wales,

were told to assault a German strongpoint.

Tomorrow, the centenary will be marked at a ceremony

there, with tributes from the First Minister

and the Archbishop of Wales among others.

Roger Pinney has the story of the men of the 38 Division.

The beauty of this little valley today belies the horror

In the woods you will find reminders of it.

Little acts of remembrance from Wales to those who were lost.

Around a mile square, a week into the battle of the Somme,

it fell to the men of Wales to take what had become a key objective.

On the morning of July the 7th, the advance would have come out

of cover over that rise and down here.

Because of its shape, that part of Mametz Wood in front

The Welsh emerged into murderous cross-fire.

Few got any further than with this road is now.

It was the end of the second year of war.

The old regular army was all but gone.

In its place a new army of volunteers.

And at Mametz the men who lined up were from the new Welsh Division

Colliers, dockers, ironworkers, farmhands.

The boys from next-door from all corners of Wales.

Fought together and so often died together.

Among them Sgt Fred Rowlands, a miner from

I met his great-granddaughter Louvain Rees at the home he left

in Victoria Street to join the Cardiff City Battalion.

The home, the wife, baby daughter he was never to see again.

It is sad to think that she would have been, my

great-great-grandmother would have been on her own there, waiting to

hear from her husband. He never came back. They were married in 1913 so

they were not actually married long before he went away.

Three times they attacked that first day.

This is his so-called Dead Man's Penny -

a gift from the Government to his family.

At the end of five days of fighting at Mametz Wood,

more than a thousand of the Welsh Division

From the War diary, the extracts that we have, it is an awful day. It

was raining, so many people died. It was not just him, hundreds of

families torn apart by that one day. What you will find when you look at

the names on memorials is a striking similarity of names. You will see

brothers, you will see fathers and sons in some places and you will

certainly see cousins. It is those names together that readers strike

at you. The wounds ran deep

in communities across Wales. Sgt Fred Rowlands is buried

in Flat Iron Copse cemetary, The land in front of Mametz Wood

became known as Death Valley. A permanent reminder

of so much sacrifice. We'll have much more

on the remembrance service at Mametz Wood tomorrow and you can

find out more about the battle Back to the football now,

and there's little more than an hour to go until kick-off

and the fanzones here In a moment, we'll join Nicola Smith

at the Principality Stadium, This is the fan zone in Lyon. It can

hold up to 20,000 fans. I'm sure it will be full later. It is slowly

filling up with a mix of Welsh and Portuguese fans. On the streets, the

Welsh fans outnumber the Portuguese. They got here by any means. Flying

anywhere, driving everywhere. I have got three fans with me now. You had

a long drive this morning. Has it been worth it? Definitely. This game

has been 58 years in the making. Why did you want to be here? Pride for

the country. It is something else, isn't it? It is a once-in-a-lifetime

opportunity for us. Like most fans you have been a last-minute planning

trip. You have not found anywhere to stay this evening. No, it was a spur

of the moment thing so we are just basically got in the car and came

straight down. We have got no accommodation. If Wales lose, it

might be quite a sombre night. It will be a long journey home. Who do

you think is going to win? Definitely Wales. Wales. All the

way. Lots of confident Wales fans here tonight. Today, you have been

able to get tickets for the stadium and the match tonight. What would

cost 495 is down to 250. I know another fan zone that will be very

busy tonight and that is in Cardiff. Thank you. It is already filling up

here tonight. The gates opened around 20 minutes ago and they are

expecting around 27,500 people to fill those two tears. All to watch

the match on this big screen. All 100 feet of it. It is her specially

for this historic occasion and I am told it is one of the biggest in

Britain. We think of this as the home of Welsh Rugby Union and I am

standing alongside a speedway track because the World Championships are

here this weekend. But tonight, football is very much taking centre

stage. Let's talk to Carolyn, who is very much a Welsh football fan.

Wales' performance has galvanised a nation. It has impressed the world.

Football is the only global sport and the success of this team, there

incredible journey, has impressed people across the globe. That is PR

money can't buy. Billions of people now know where the great country of

Wales 's. The fans tonight will be looking for a win but it is not

really matter what the Wales team does, does it? They have already set

up their legacy. Something has happened in this tournament that

goes way beyond the field of play. The character, the spirit, the pride

they take in a national identity and culture, it is a lesson for us all.

That motto, Together Stronger, it is a lesson for us all. Predictions?

How are you feeling? I predicted before this tour and began that

Wales had the talent to go all the way and I am sticking with that.

Enjoy the game. Fingers crossed. It'll be dry for fans here tonight

because the roof is closed, It is a very warm evening in Lyon

tonight. Wall-to-wall sunshine. But in Wales it is a cloudy picture and

it is feeling warm as we head into tomorrow as well. Tonight we have

quite a bit of cloud around, limited brightness, a little bit of rain

coming into parts of North Wales as we go through the night. I think the

bulk of the country will be dry with those temperatures ranging between

12 and 15 Celsius. We do have this waving weather front which is going

to bring some patchy rain with it tomorrow. It will push south and

eastwards and back up again into the early hours of Friday morning.

Tomorrow morning, a dry start for the bulk of the country. A little

bit of rain across the North. But it will brighten up for parts of the

north-east. The rest of the country cloudy with some patchy rain.

Temperatures getting up to around 19 Celsius. Tomorrow night, that rain

will push southwards but gradually pushed back up again into the early

hours of Friday morning. We will see quite a bit of low-level cloud, mist

and fog and a muggy night again tomorrow. As we head towards the end

of the week, that front will clear and behind it, slowly but surely,

the next weather system will start to push on from the West and that

will bring a lot more cloud with it. First thing on Friday morning, we do

have quite a bit of cloud around, patchy rain across the South, that

will clear on that front will start to pushing again. Those Debbie

jurors will range between 18 and 20 Celsius. -- those temperatures. Over

the next few days, cloudy and damp, limited brightness, feeling warm but

do enjoy the match tonight. Let's head back to Lyon now,

where excitement and nerves One hour to go now before the

biggest 90 minutes of the players lives. But whatever happens here

tonight, they will return he rose. The fans have criss-crossed

the country, from Lille to Lens, Will their journey end in Paris

and the final of Euro 2016? After the last few weeks,

anything is possible.