07/07/2016 BBC Wales Today

One hundred years on, a service of commemoration is held

in France to remember the thousands of Welsh soldiers killed or injured

For those who were here, walking over barbed wire towards gunfire,

and yet still they did it and I think

it is difficult for us to understand that and that is why

it is so important for us to remember it.

At home in Wales too, the fallen were remembered.

Also tonight, heading for home - the Euro 2016 dream may be over,

but there'll be a heroes' welcome for this Wales team,

I live in Paris and I have spent most of my life trying to explain

to Paris taxi drivers the difference between

I hope that as of last night, they are going to

From Cardiff Castle, the team will parade

We'll have all the details of tomorrow's big celebrations.

And workers at Tata Steel sites in Wales wait for confirmation,

but the company is expected to hold off on the sale of most

It lasted five days, left more than a thousand Welsh men

dead or missing, around 3,000 wounded.

Today marks the centenary of the battle of Mametz Wood

in northern France, where soldiers from across Wales were told

Today, services were held across Wales as well as a special

ceremony in France, from where Roger Pinney now reports.

The music played by the band of the Royal Welsh would have been familiar

to those who fought here. We are here today to remember but also to

thank. And today was a time to remember. Those who travel to

mammoths would for the ceremony came from all aspects of Welsh life, just

as the soldiers of 1916 did. As wreaths were laid, there was a

reminder of the terrible toll. In 15 minutes, the losses were greater

than the British Army's 15 years in Afghanistan. I need to Jordan, uncle

was among those who died. He died of wounds as a result of the battle on

July the 11th. You are standing here on his ground. That is a very

emotional. As you can imagine. I think how proud my father would have

been. For those who work here, going through the mud, walking over barbed

wire, towards gunfire, and yet still they did it. I think it is difficult

for us to understand that and that is why it is so important for us to

remember it. For five days the Welsh for her. Time and again they threw

themselves at the wood. Accounts of the time talk of this valley strewn

with the dead and wounded. We've become used now to the grainy

black and white images of war. This remarkable film was recorded

during the Battle of the Somme and then shown to packed

picture houses back home. And some still photographs survive

of the aftermath at Mametz Wood. Here, a wounded soldier is returning

through the trenches. They give a flavour but can't fully

convey the true horror. 30 years ago, BBC Wales interviewed

men who lived through it. They included Albert Evans

of the 16th Cardiff City battalion Alf Jackson of the 14th

Swansea Welch and Williams Davies They did not have two shallots

because they were mowing us down with the rifle fire, snipers and

machine guns. When I look at the wood, it was all demolished.

Branches down, trunks stripped, trunks lying down.

Two Welsh rugby internationals were killed at Mametz,

including Dick Thomas, a collier turned policeman who played in two

The Welsh Rugby Union has put his shirt and caps on display.

We have this remarkable account of his death. I remember this huge man

down in front of me, he got on his knees and two hands on the ground,

went down to the ground, killed like that. Just in front of you? Just in

front of me. Many of those who died are buried at this ceremony.

Men from north south east and west Wales who fought together and died

Back home, events have been taking place across Wales to remember those

who lost their lives at Mametz Wood and throughout World War One.

From Cardiff to Caernarfon, hundreds of people have attended

ceremonies to remember the Welsh men and women who made

The last post rings out in the Welsh capital.

150 men, women and children stood in silence on the very day,

a century ago, that Welsh soldiers were being cut down at Mametz Wood.

This ceremony marked the unveiling of Cardiff's first permanent

memorial to the people of the city who lost their lives

2,290 Cardiffians died in that conflict.

Among those in attendance, Alan Barter, who's great uncle

fought in World War One and who was the first solider

from Cardiff to be awarded the Victoria Cross.

I think it is fitting and in keeping that we remember

these men who served and gave their lives

This tree shaped memorial is suitably symbolic because more

than a thousand trees have been planted here and when they grow

they will fill a memorial wood, a living reminder of the sacrifice

That sacrifice was honoured at Caernarfon too.

Hundreds turned out in the driving rain to pay their respects

at the opening of a memorial garden in the castle grounds.

Children lined up with simple crosses to honour their forefathers.

They get to know and they understand the

history and the sacrifice that has been made by doing this for them for

It is also a sign of continuation that even though the

For those who lost relatives in the Great War, today provided

Clare Noyce is the great niece of two men whose tragic fate

symbolised the courage and carnage of Mametz Wood.

Those men were brothers Thomas and Henry Hardwidge

Henry ran out to give him water and to comfort him.

He was then shot by a sniper and they both died

Quite moving, the love that they must have

It is one small story in the thousands that were killed.

Today, across Wales, communities came together,

honouring ancestors who went to war - many never to return.

It's a sacrifice we've never forgotten and never will.

Well, let's cross to Roger, who's in Albert in northern France.

Roger, there's a concert taking place there tonight?

Yes, it is in the building behind me. It is called the basilica and it

has a real Welsh Labour because it involves the Treorchy Male voice

choir who also sang at the service earlier today. I spoke to a few

members of the choir and they said it was their first visit here and

they have been incredibly moved by it. The concert tonight and the

ceremony this afternoon has been organised by the South Wales branch

of the Western front Association, many of which spent a considerable

amount of time working with local French people to foster the memory

of what the Welsh did her 100 years ago. That is really what this has

all been about. Those survivors have left this now but if you speak to

any of the many Welsh people here this week, they will tell you they

are determined to make sure that this story will live on. Some of

them have come on personal or images, thinking of members of their

own families who were here. My own grandfather fought on the Somme. And

we have had a real sense this week that while we are here, we have been

walking in their footsteps. A 29-year-old man from Cardiff has

been found guilty of causing the deaths of a father and his

unborn baby by dangerous driving. Kyle Kennedy crashed into a car

on Lamby Way on New Year's Eve. 33-year-old Simon Lewis

died at the scene. His son was delivered three

days after the collision A nurse has been sacked

for looking at patients' Hywel Dda University Health Board,

which runs services in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion

and Pembrokeshire, says no changes were made to any of the records

and has apologised to everyone Councillors in Pembrokeshire have

voted to go back to the drawing board and extend their review

of secondary education It followed a four hour

extraordinary meeting, described The decision comes a day

after a second high school in Haverfordwest was placed

into special measures and the cabinet member for education

was removed from her post. A parade and concert to welcome

the Wales football team home from Euro 2016 will be held

in Cardiff tomorrow. Thousands are expected

to line the streets of the capital to celebrate

the team's achievements. It was an historic few weeks

for Chris Coleman's side, who reached the semifinal

of the tournament. Heading home after a football

adventure which has lasted longer This morning, some were still

celebrating what they have achieved and, for the manager,

a chance to spend time with family. After weeks away, Chris Coleman

reunited with his wife Charlotte In Lyon, the mass exodus

of Wales fans started early. They are going home

after a memorable summer. Walking around our home town

of Bangor, you just see Cars passing with Welsh

flags, it means a lot. I live in Paris and I have spent

most of my life trying to explain to Paris taxi drivers

the difference between I hope that as of last night,

they are going to I think there is a lot to build

on for the future and it is a young All lines lead to Cardiff

and after four weeks in France, the fans can leave

with their heads held high. As for the players,

they will return as heroes. "Together stronger" has been

the motto throughout. The players say this is just

the start of something special. We don't want to just turn

up to one tournament, we want to start qualifying

on a regular basis and it is about We are disappointed now

but we will pick ourselves back up. A defeat does not damage this bunch

and we will pick ourselves up What a performance from the team

in the tournament. And as a country as well,

we have added to the tournament. They cheered in Lyon

well into the night. And back home, the support

just as passionate. Tomorrow these fans

will have a chance to say thank you. An open top bus parade

through Cardiff is planned. The celebrations culminating in a

concert at the Cardiff City Stadium. Wales leave a stage having excited,

delighted and surprised The summer of 2016 forever

remembered for this As Tomos mentioned in his report,

the Wales team can look forward to a homecoming to remember

in the capital tomorrow. Some details now on what they

and their fans can expect. The celebrations get

underway at Cardiff Castle. This is where, at four o clock,

the team will board an open-top bus. They'll travel along the High Street

and St Mary's Street, Then it's a right on to

Westgate Street, before turning left The bus will carry on along

Wellington Street before turning The final stop,

Cardiff City Stadium. Here at the home of Welsh football,

from 5.15pm, there will be a homecoming concert with special

guests the Manic Street Preachers, before the players and the staff

take their place on the stage You can get your free ticket

to the event on the FAW's website. But even if you can't make it,

you can follow every twist and turn here on Wales Today,

Radio Wales and online. And we'll have a special programme

tomorrow between 4pm and 6pm, following the team live

as they arrive home from France. Tata Steel is expected to announce

that it will hold off on the sale of most of its UK business,

including its site at Port Talbot, But the company says it will proceed

with the sale of its speciality steel-making operations

at sites in England. Tata's board is due to meet at its

headquarters in Mumbai tomorrow, from where our correspondent

Yogita Limaye reports. It is inside this building,

the headquarters of the Tata Group in Mumbai, that the board meets

and the meeting on Friday is particularly significant

because it is the first time the board will be coming

together after the UK voted That has huge implications

for Tata Steel's business in Europe. In March, the company has announced

it wants to sell off its entire British business and in May it said

that at least seven potential buyers About a quarter of the steel that

Tata produces in the UK is sold to Europe and potential buyers

are likely to worry about future It is just another

complication in what already There is speculation that Tata Steel

might decide to put the entire sale process on hold until there is some

clarity on what the Brexit vote Tata Steel employs around 11,000

workers in the UK. The British government has been

desperate to save Business Secretary Sajid Javid has

been here several times to meet with Tata Steel's management

and he is on another visit now. Despite the Brexit vote,

the government has said it maintains its offer to take a 25%

stake in whatever deal is struck to But the company has said it has been

losing ?1 million a day for more than a year in the UK and finally it

will be up to the board in that building to decide how long

the company can afford to keep A ground-breaking investigation

into racism in the justice And the dream team are

coming home tomorrow, The Labour MP for Pontypridd,

Owen Smith, has warned that his party is in danger

of splitting apart. But he said Jeremy Corbyn should be

given more time to resolve In his first public

comments since he resigned from the Shadow Cabinet last week,

Mr Smith said he was "ready to do Let's talk to our parliamentary

correspondent David Cornock, David, what should we make

of Owen Smith's remarks? Owen Smith resigned from the Shadow

Cabinet ten days ago in process at Jeremy Corbyn's leadership. Since

then he has maintained a diplomatic silence so speculation has grown

among MPs about his own leadership ambitions. Today he has broken the

silence with a statement in which he says that hundreds of Labour Party

members and MPs have contacted him to shape their fears that the Labour

Party truly risks splitting apart. He says he shares those fears. He

has been to see Jeremy Corbyn, he has been to see Len McCluskey, the

union leader who is trying to broker a peace deal in all this. But he

says that Jeremy Corbyn and that peace talks should be given more

time to take place over the weekend to see if they can be a resolution

but then he adds in his statement, I stand ready to do anything I can to

save and serve the party. That can be taken one of two ways but most

MPs think that if Jeremy Corbyn does not stand down, he will face a

leadership challenge and Mr Smith stands ready to serve. Can Jeremy

Corbyn Klingon? That is the big question. He says he is going

nowhere but there are talks going on to see whether a settlement can be

agreed. If he is still imposed early next week there will almost

certainly be a challenge, either from Angela Eagle, another Shadow

Cabinet departure last week, or perhaps from Owen Smith. Nobody

knows how this is going to end, which is why it is so fascinating

for those outside the Labour Party and so traumatic for those inside

it. Neonatal services across Wales

are overstretched and under pressure with the safety of vulnerable babies

at risk, according to a charity. BLISS say there's a severe shortage

of neonatal nurses anddoctors and National Safety Standards

are not being met. The Royal College of Paediatrics

and Child Health have joined them The Welsh Government says there has

been a steady, continuing improvement, with ?85 million

invested in training staff. It is a very specialist area

of recruitment around neonatal services and there is development

and training we can put in place but I would have an expectation

that the neonatal network along with health boards takes the report

very seriously and gives us reassurances on the steps

they are going to take next to build Almost ?4 million worth of funding

has been given towards schemes The Secretary for Environment

and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths, made the announcement on a visit

to the village of Tal-y-bont near Bangor, which was affected

by last winter's storms. The Prince of Wales and Duchess

of Cornwall will continue their tour of Wales later with visits

to Talgarth, Crickhowell, Yesterday, the Duchess

was at the Norwegian Church in Cardiff Bay, where she met

children who had written songs based on Roald Dahl's work

as part of the celebrations A ground-breaking investigation

looking into racial bias in the justice system across the UK

visited Cardiff Prison today. Lead by the London Labour MP

David Lammy, it aims to make recommendations on how to tackle any

institutional racism. In a recent survey, ethnic minority

prisoners at Cardiff reported a more positive experience

than inmates in other parts David Lammy, the Labour MP

for Tottenham, was given the job of preparing the report into race

and ethnic bias in the criminal justice system by Prime

Minister David Cameron. As part of that review, he is being

shown around Cardiff Prison. During his tour he met a number

of inmates who told him I know it is not going to help me

because I have been sentenced already but I hope it changes it

for people in the future. Really and truly, if you are from

an ethnic minority or anything like that, try and not to get

in trouble because once you are in trouble, your life

is in other people's hands Latest figures show that people

from black and ethnic minorities make up over a quarter

of inmates in Britain. In Wales the figure is 11%

yet they are only 4% And when it comes to Crown Court

defendants, they are also David Lammy is visiting

prisons around Britain but he will also be looking

at the Crown Prosecution Service, youth justice teams

and rehabilitation services. There are challenges

about what people are charged with, there are issues about why black

and minority ethnic defendants have a certain sentence and a white

person, for the same conviction, Black and ethnic minority prisoners

disproportionately In Cardiff Prison, they have been

doing relatively well. The governor said a recent survey

shows that inmates from black and ethnic minorities

reported a positive We have a real focus

on rehabilitation. We have a number of initiatives that

help support that process. For example, we discussed

the implementation of five minute intervention,

which is a process whereby we engage meaningfully at every possible

opportunity with the defendants The review, which has

cross-party support, will make recommendations

about tackling bias in the criminal justice system when the report

is published in the spring Will it stay dry for

the Wales team's homecoming? Yes, I have some good news. The

weather is looking in good shape for tomorrow. Today has not been great.

It has been rather unsettled, it has been feeling humid, and this weather

front making its way south and eastwards. Tomorrow, after a damp

start, by the afternoon it is looking much drier. That front

pushing south and eastwards and it is going to push back up again in

the overnight period. Some heavy rain is likely across the south-east

but it is in the overnight period. Those temperatures pretty muddy. 16

Celsius. And the wind coming from the south-west. Tomorrow, we get a

brief break from the weather front but this deep area of low pressure

in the Atlantic will bring wet and windy conditions by the time we get

a Saturday. First thing tomorrow morning, sunlight and patchy rain.

Pretty quickly, the wind will clear and by the afternoon we can look

forward to something a bit brighter, feeling pleasantly warm in the

sunshine. Still feeling humid with temperatures between 17 and 20

Celsius. If you are going to the homecoming party tomorrow, you will

need to take sunscreen with you. It is about 19 Celsius. We have got

plenty of sunshine on offer as we head into the evening. Tomorrow

night, some evening sunshine, a few showers running across mid and North

Wales. We will start to see the next weather system pushing in from the

West, bringing more persistent rain into the early hours of Saturday

morning. Feeling very humid indeed. Overnight temperatures of 15

Celsius. There is the front that is going to bring the wet and windy

weather to Saturday. A bit of uncertainty about the positioning of

the front but as it stands, most of us will see some rain as we go

through the gate. Those temperatures still very mild. 21 Celsius. It will

not feel cold despite the shortage of sunshine. You will need your

waterproofs as you head out. As we head towards the rest of the

weekend, Sunday there will be some sunny spells but also a few blustery

showers. Very humid conditions as well. And as we start next week, it

is looking less humid for Monday. Some sunny spells as well but still

the risk of a few showers. Enjoy the sunshine tomorrow afternoon.

It's approaching seven o'clock, the main news again from the BBC.

Today marks the centenary of the First World War Battle

It lasted five days and left more than a thousand Welsh men dead

or missing as they launched an assault on a German standpoint.

Today, services were held across Wales, as well as a special

And following the Wales team's historic progress in Euro 2016,

reaching the semifinals last night, the country is preparing

Thousands are expected to line the streets of the Welsh capital

tomorrow night to celebrate the team's achievements.

I'm back with an update at 8pm and then again after the 10pm news.

And don't forget to join us tomorrow for that special programme

between 4pm and 6pm following the Wales football team

For now though, from everyone here, good evening.