Ambush, ambush! Checkpoint Danny Boy.
Outnumbered. Two men down. Request backup.
Received. Backup deployed.
Three Warriors.
- Heavy incoming! - Whisky 2-2
five minutes away.
This is Whisky 2-2
approaching Checkpoint Danny Boy.
RPG and gunshot incoming.
I don't like it. - Just sit tight, mate, OK?
You're gonna be alright.
Woody, listen up. Enemy are dug in.
Your orders are to leave the vehicle.
Sorry, say again, Stick. You want us to dismount into that?
They've got two men down. They need help.
So prep the boys for dismount.
What's he saying?
We're gonna dismount and close with the enemy.
What, here? Just us?
After me. Be quick about it, yeah?
How does it feel to be accused of war crimes?
It's Brian Wood.
A boy at school says you're a murderer.
And that's what's upsetting you?
That is upsetting.
Come here, little man.
Say you're not. - Not what?
Dad.
Bailey...
do I look like a murderer to you?
The inquiry's terms of reference are as follows, and I quote:
"To investigate and report on the allegations made
by the claimants against British soldiers
on the 14th and 15th of May 2004."
Corporal Wood, do you understand how matters will proceed?
I do, sir, yes.
OK, lads, you're on your own.
You ready for this?
Rushy, you ready for this? - Yes!
Spud? Let's do this! Go, go, go!
Ah, Jesus, babe.
Do you ever get that thing, you wake up
and you haven't got a bloody clue where you are?
No.
Want me to tell you where you are?
I know now.
Want me to tell you?
Yeah, go on, then.
You are in London. - Yeah?
To meet the Queen.
And why's that then?
Because you're a hero and she wants to pin something on you.
Come on, wee man, come on. Let's go find your mum.
Here we go, come on.
She's in there. Go and see her. On you go, son.
Ho-ho! Look at this smart wee laddie.
Wahey! Alright, Bailey boy?
How did you like spending the night with Nana and Grandad?
Hello! - He wants to see his mum.
Did you forget your kecks? - Is that a problem?
He's got great legs. Look at my lovely boy!
He's our lovely boy. - Are you our lovely boy?
Are you our lovely boy? - Are you two not ready yet?
- Do you know what time it is? - Er, tranquillo.
Dad, be honest, is this tie straight?
It's straight. Come on, get a move on.
Don't muss him all up, you. Took me forever getting him dressed.
You might have to do the same for Brian.
Wouldn't be the first time. Give that here
and get your trousers on. - Right, that's it. Chop chop.
I'm putting you two on the clock. T-minus ten.
23 years in the Army, son.
It never took me to places like this.
On the 14th of May 2004, Lance Corporal Brian Wood
was sent to the aid of comrades
ambushed under enemy fire at Checkpoint Danny Boy.
In recognition of his leadership
courage and selfless action
during some of the fiercest fighting in Iraq
Lance Corporal Wood receives the Military Cross for gallantry.
Come on, Brian. Keep up.
He does know other stuff, but mainly he's keepers.
Don't tell me they have a coach just for goalies.
Anyway, he asked me to be the one taking penalties
for the goalies to have penalty-taking practice
cos he said they can never tell where I was gonna go
and also I could put it where I wanted it to go.
Whereas a lot of the other kids just froze up
when it came to spot kicks, or looked at the keepers
and lost their concentration. And he said--
OK, OK, Brian. - "Keep it brief."
Keep it brief.
So, you wanted to come out running.
Let's see what you're made of. - Yeah?
Yeah.
Alright. - Yeah!
Alright!
It begins with R, Brian!
Resilience.
Dad!
Alright, Woody? Where's your medal?
Sir, what's it like
jumping out of a Warrior under fire?
That's a good question.
It's, er, Johnno, right? - Sir.
Johnno, I'm here today to tell you
all about the realities of war.
And maybe one of the realities of war is it's not so easy
to stand up and talk about it.
And you're gonna have guys out there
who are making a big song and dance about what they did
getting their names in the paper.
Good luck to them.
I'll let you make your own judgment about that.
I've got nothing to say about that.
You know what I was focusing on?
Eh? Anyone?
I wasn't thinking about being brave
being a hero, or winning medals.
I was focusing on destroying the enemy
and keeping myself and my men alive.
I was fighting my own fight.
I wasn't worried about what everybody else was doing.
Alright? That's a sure-fire way to get yourself--
Corporal Wood?
Yeah?
Spencer. HE CLEARS THROAT
I'm teaching. What's this about?
We just want a little chat with you.
A little chat?
Congratulations on the medal, Corporal.
Are you gonna tell me what this is about?
We will, yeah.
You just take a seat here for me, please, Corporal Wood.
We're gonna show you photos, Corporal
from the Battle of Danny Boy, from its aftermath.
You tell us if you recognise anyone in them.
OK?
And this one?
What's this about?
Just whether you know who these people are, Corporal.
No.
That's my unit.
Him?
Do you recognise this detainee, Corporal Wood?
Yeah, I, um...
I took him prisoner.
And what was the manner of that?
Do you recall the rules of engagement, Corporal Wood?
Yes. - So you took this man prisoner.
Tell me about the use of force. - He gave himself up.
He was armed?
Was he just a man in a field, or...?
No, he was armed.
The CSM shouted, "Drop your weapons," and he did.
The CSM just shouted--
"Drop your fucking weapons," yeah.
You'd drop 'em, wouldn't you?
You met the CSM.
Was he barefoot when you took him prisoner?
Yeah. - Did you plasticuff him?
No, no, not at the time, no. - Did you offer him water?
Not that I recall.
I'd have thought that date was printed on your memory.
It is.
So, did you offer him water...
Corporal Wood?
Did you?
Did you offer him water? - Corporal Wood--
Or were you not there?
Sorry, say again, Stick. You want us to dismount into that?
They've got two men down. They need help.
Prep the boys for dismount.
OK, lads. You're on your own.
You ready for this?
Rushy, you ready for this? - Yes.
Spud? Let's do this! Go, go, go!
Enemy, bridge line. We close with the enemy
we take position one, yeah?
But that's 120 metres away!
Right, he's firing us in!
Five, four, three,
two, one!
On me!
50 metres!
Go, go, go!
Get your hands up now!
On the ground now!
Get the fuck on the ground now! You fucking... Shut the fuck up!
Where'd the rest of them go?
They could be back any minute. Get the cuffs on.
Position one. Not a scratch on us, boys.
British fighting spirit done that, mate.
Here we go, lads. Get in.
Wait there, wait there. I'll be right down.
Morning.
Put this intercom and security in
because of all the threats against us.
It doesn't work properly
so I spend all my time running up and down these stairs.
It won't be the nutjobs that kill me.
It'll be the exhaustion.
Thanks for coming up to the office to see me.
It'll give you a chance to see the job the way it really is.
Of course, I'm too bloody busy
to get up to the university at the moment.
Some of you will end up in big fuck-off law practices
in the City with smoked glass and neck massages
but the vast majority of lawyers work like this.
You'll need to get your brains around that.
Right, straight through, in here, come on.
My advice is go running
do yoga, start flower-arranging.
Anything to give you a sense of perspective.
This job will eat you up
and spit you out if you're not careful.
Who wants tea? - Me.
Ah. What's your name?
Deena. - Sugar?
Two, please. - Ah.
Oh, shit. There is none.
Er, right. So, you want to be human rights lawyers.
What's the first quality you're going to need? Hm?
Got some sachets here somewhere.
Come on, I won't bite.
Compassion? - Compassion? OK.
Anything else?
Empathy? - A thick skin.
You're going to need a thick skin.
And why do I say that, Deena?
Because some of the things we might be doing--
Because people will tear you up.
Politicians, the press, the establishment.
It doesn't matter how clear it is to you
that human rights are sacrosanct
and you have a duty to protect them
whoever's they might be.
Other people will tell you different.
They'll tell you you're a bleeding heart
they'll tell you you're naive
they'll tell you you're money-grubbing.
Why do they say those things?
Hm? Mush? Why do they say those things?
Who? The-- - Because now and then
you're going to have to tell them things
they really don't want to hear.
And here's one of them.
British soldiers get away with murder.
Who's heard of Baha Mousa?
Couple of years ago, Iraqi lad, worked in a hotel in Basra.
About the same age as you lot. He's, uh...
He's a father of two kids aged two and four.
He's dead, right? - He is now, yes.
Brace yourselves.
That's him after a period at Her Majesty's pleasure.
So, on behalf of his family, I respectfully argued in court
that Baha Mousa, in British custody in Iraq
had the same human rights as any other prisoner
in any other British jail.
Doesn't matter if it's in Basra or in Birmingham.
Anyone want to argue with that?
The MOD. - Ha!
The Ministry of Defence, very good, they did indeed
because it made their job much more difficult.
But the High Court and the Court of Appeal agreed with me.
British law applies wherever British soldiers have command.
Anybody want to argue with that principle?
Well, you want to be human rights lawyers
so I bloody well hope not.
But here's my question.
Tell you what, everyone, come here. Put your drinks down.
Come round here. Come on, chop chop.
Over here.
Right.
Here's Baha Mousa.
Face-down in the dirt with British soldiers all around him
with their SA80s pointed down at him.
That's you lot, come on. SA80s pointed down at him.
Now...
we teach our soldiers how to kill other soldiers in a war
and there's nothing wrong with that.
But the judge found that Baha Mousa died
as a result of 93 injuries
incurred over a 36-hour period in British Army custody.
I proved that case.
But not one soldier was found guilty of murder
or even manslaughter or unlawful killing.
Is it right you guys get away with murder?
Put your guns down.
So how come it's me that's a disgrace to my country?
Shh! - Bloody push-ups?
Say if I'm buttering too loud for you.
Brian, I just thought you might call out to him or something.
I've been up with him since four.
I, uh... HE COUGHS
I tried to get up for him but he didn't want me.
It's gonna take time.
You want him like this, don't you?
You want him all yours.
I'm not starting all that again.
If it's a problem at work, let's talk about it.
Who is it? - Is that Phil Shiner?
Who wants to know?
David Monaghan. I'm a journalist.
You agreed to meet me.
Did I?
The Battle of Danny Boy.
Right.
Iraqi farmers, apparently, at work in their fields
when the Princess of Wales Regiment happened along.
With Baha Mousa, you proved a single act
of terrible inhumanity. This could be 20.
It's not a head count.
Footage of the dead bodies was filmed by Al Jazeera and...
there's some trophy photos floating around
taken by British soldiers.
The Red Cross demanded an inquiry
within days of what happened.
Military Police picked it up but it's going nowhere.
Loads of inconsistencies in what they did find.
Something stinks.
Make your programme. Get it on the screen.
Tell the world. - I intend to.
So why do you need me?
I don't need you, Phil. These people might.
Have you got any idea the amount of work this would take?
How busy I am already? - Just read it.
What have you got to lose?
Night, Phil.
Night.
Mazin, hi.
Yeah, thanks for getting back to me.
That's right, that's right. Listen, I might need you
to go back to Iraq for me. Something new.
Same arrangement?
Same arrangement as before, only...
the scale of this thing could be huge
so I'd need you to track down witnesses
sound them out, and I'll meet them in Istanbul.
Right.
Babe.
He went to sleep. Shh!
He went to sleep! Oh!
You're a star.
Come on!
That's the first time he's went to sleep for me.
I mean it, you're a star.
You're getting there with him. - The sleep master.
What? - Nothing.
Nothing... - No, babe, what?
You were like you used to be just then.
When you came through that door.
Can't we have a happy moment?
I just took my son up to bed.
I got him off to sleep for the first time.
That's me, I'm being a dad, I'm being a proper dad.
I am happy.
You don't look happy.
I was at the doctor today
getting a prescription for sleeping pills.
Every other night, you're waking up not knowing where you are.
Yeah, well, no doubt about where I am before I'm waking up.
OK.
Come on. Let's talk about that.
What's going on, Brian?
You really think, don't you
that if you don't say anything's wrong then nothing's wrong?
I feel like you don't want me home.
OK?
And I feel like every fucking thing I do is wrong.
I don't know any more than you do.
Ho!
We going on this run, or what?
I thought we were running together.
Fifteen years retired, I am. - Not whingeing, are we?
It wasn't cruelty I was teaching you, Brian.
It was resilience. - Yeah, I know that, Dad.
I got that. You did that.
Look, son...
Your mother's worried about you.
Is everything OK with you and Lucy?
Yeah. No, it's, um...
You know, one minute I was in Al Amara
and the next minute I was going in through the door
and seeing my baby boy for the first time, so...
You know, it's gonna, um...
You know, it's gonna be a...
You never killed anybody.
No.
It never fell to me to do it.
But if it had, I woulda.
Mind you, it was Northern Ireland, it's different.
You couldnae tell who was friend, who was foe.
And it's Northern Ireland.
They're our own people, it's the UK.
You know, I trained for it, and I did it and it works
and you think...
"Fuck," you know, "I'm alive and he's dead."
And then after...
You know we're here for you, right?
Yeah. Then the RMP come knocking on your door--
The RMP? Are you kidding?
A decorated war hero? Tell 'em to piss off!
You can't just tell them... They get your head in a spin, Dad.
You start thinking what you did
or didn't-- - You did a good job, son.
That's what you did.
Hey.
For 300 years
this family served this country.
Twelve generations.
Those guys...
they're right here with us.
OK.
Brian?
Aye, he's alright. Just doesnae like losing, that's all.
He's not the only one.
Come on. In we go.
...your fucking mouth, mate!
Shut your mouth! - I tell you right now, mate.
Get a blindfold on him!
Where'd the rest of them go?
They could be back any minute. Get your cuffs on.
Blindfolds! Blindfolds!
Are we good?
Everyone OK? - All good.
Boys, keep your heads down. Remember, two-way range.
Is the battlefield clear? - No, sir.
No.
Right. Leave this shower to your men. You come with me.
Woody, walk on!
We're over-committed. Woody, back this way, come on.
Drop your fucking weapons!
Put your fucking hands up now!
Now! Here!
Hands up! Get your hands up right now! To me.
You. - Arms.
He's good. To me now. - Come here.
To me. Do you speak English?
Stay there.
He's clean.
Move, now! - Go!
Why didn't they shoot us?
Hey! Why didn't you shoot us? We never even saw you.
What kind of soldiers are you?
Go, go!
Keep going!
Lose our lives over a flip-flop?
Lose this again, I'm throwing it!
Go! Go!
Yeah, in English, mate.
Farmer! - Farmer?
He's a farmer?
You're farmers, I'm a fucking Brigadier, mate.
How old are you?
- 16! - Stay there.
16!
Stay there!
Get a move on. - Go.
Go.
Has he had his expenses?
His mother has.
Istanbul interviews, day two. Time, 9:30am.
He was face-down in the ditch. He could hear soldiers coming.
Take him back to the beginning. Family set-up and all that.
Mother and sister hated Saddam
because Saddam killed their uncle and cousin.
All family happy to see British soldiers when they came.
Friends bringing freedom.
Does he work? School?
School in the mornings, farm in the afternoons.
That day he had to cut fresh grass for his cow.
Did he have a gun with him?
For wolves, for bandits. Kalashnikov.
Er, Iraqi men in black clothes with guns got out of trucks
and spread in the field near the farm.
And when the British came past, there was shooting
and he lay down in the ditch, facing the ditch.
He was bleeding, crying, asking them, "Please, stop."
They drag him a long, long way
throw him in the vehicle with dead bodies.
And...
what... what happened to his weapon?
He didn't have weapon.
He said just now he did. A Kalashnikov?
He had weapon but only at home.
I need to know whether he was carrying the weapon that day.
Hm? Ask him, because in his previous statement, here...
Here. He said he had it.
Now, if he's gonna chop and change
he'll be no good to me in the witness box.
As-Salaam-Alaikum.
What's he saying?
He says he's been waiting two hours and he needs to eat.
Oh, does he need money for food?
No, he doesn't need money. I'm telling him
we're not finished with this guy yet, but he's insisting.
Maybe we are...
Maybe we are finished here. Thank you.
Thank you. Please.
Please.
And your name is...? - Hussein.
Hussein.
And were you at the Battle of Danny Boy?
Yes. - And why were you there?
He is saying that he is--
Not fighter.
I am farmer. Farmer.
Come on, then. The guys are out the back.
Hey, you alright? Yeah! Just go through.
Hi.
Nice one, Bailey, keep bouncing!
It's not like you, hanging back when there's meat on the grill.
Just taking it all in, you know? A happy family.
Y'know, I'm only here cos of what two guys did out there.
What, your mates had your back?
It was Iraqis.
Could've killed me, but didn't.
What sort of soldier's that?
What sort of soldier
won't even fire his weapon? - Brian--
What sort of soldier wears flipflops and a dishdash?
Brian.
You might only be here
because of those two guys, but you are here.
No. - No?
I'm here because they didn't do what I did.
You said you'd have killed if you had to.
Well, that's when you decide who's who.
That moment decides for you.
The dead have questions for you, Brian.
You need to answer them.
Brian!
Deep breaths, babe, deep breaths.
You're doing great, babe, you're doing amazing.
Deep breaths, babe, in and out.
I want my mum. - She's on her way.
I can't do this. - Yes, you can, babe.
You don't know what I can and can't do.
I do, babe! I know you.
It is our contention
that British soldiers abused and mistreated Iraqis
on the battlefield at Danny Boy
and afterwards at their base, at Camp Abu Naji.
More than that...
we believe that many of those killed, injured or detained...
were not soldiers at all.
There were farmers there, and innocent bystanders
going about their daily business.
We believe that the Army carried out unlawful killings.
Perhaps up to 20.
Any questions, please?
So the Iraqis were executed?
That's what we need to find out.
It's normal in that lawless part of Iraq
for farmers to carry guns, but
does that make them soldiers?
British soldiers are held to high standards
and rightly so.
I see it as part of my job to hold them to that.
And in my view, there is powerful evidence
that on the day in question, they let this country down.
So categorically, you're saying
British soldiers killed civilians in cold blood?
What I'm saying is the Army's own
Military Police investigation closed too soon.
It wasn't good enough.
That's why we've called upon the government
to set up a full public inquiry.
Brian's phone. Leave a message.
We don't want to be talked about
in the same way as the Japanese
in the Second World War, or the Americans at My Lai.
We need to get this all out in the open
and only a public inquiry can do that.
Several years have passed
since the Battle of Danny Boy, and the Ministry of Defence
insists the allegations are unfounded
but has promised its full cooperation.
It's a summons to a public inquiry.
This guy, Shiner-- - He's all talk.
Well, he's not all talk, is he? - It'll come to nothing.
You're not looking!
Smile!
You know how you used to complain about me
not wanting to know what you'd done
when you got your medal? - I was always joking.
It's you I wanted, not your medal.
Yeah, I know.
Do you?
Yeah.
Good.
Right, show me that fucking thing!
Gavin! The baby.
The baby.
Sorry, love.
Aye, he's lovely.
Hi.
Give you a medal wi' one hand
and knock your teeth oot wi' the other.
They accuse you of these things
our own government accuses you of these things
on the say-so of what?
The men who were trying to kill you?
"In the Northern engagement, you participated in
witnessed or were aware of," I mean, which one is it?
Jesus Christ.
There's 11 counts here. You must've been busy.
That's all I can say.
They probably sent the same letter to all of us, Dad.
No, no way. Look.
"In the course of clearing the trench with CSM Falconer
and others, you were..." Blah-blah-blah. You.
Nobody else. You.
The solicitors for the Iraqis are saying that they were, um...
farmers and not militia.
Are they trying to tell me you wouldnae know the difference
between a farmer and a trained killer
working for what-was-his-name?
Muqtada al-Sadr. - God's sake.
Public inquiry.
The world's gone mad.
Listen up. New orders.
We've got to pick up the enemy dead
and bring them back with us.
Intel reports person of interest in the field today.
Whose orders is this?
No one does this. We shouldn't be doing it.
Fuck this!
They think some local warlord is among the dead.
So we're taking the bodies back for ID-ing.
Falconer picked us out for it.
Right, I'll pick him up.
You yank his trousers back up.
What?
Who did all that?
Chain gun could do that. A 30mm tank shell.
Killing someone's one thing.
Picking them up after, looking them in the eye...
Tell you what I don't see.
I don't see any village elders who sent these kids out here
with rifles against a company full of tanks and Warriors.
Drop your fucking weapons!
Killing someone's one thing.
Picking them up after, looking them in the eye...
Why didn't they shoot us?
Why didn't you shoot us? We never even saw you.
What kind of soldiers are you?
Hey. Hey.
Come on. Come here.
Come on. Hey, come on.
It's alright.
I'm here. Come on. Come inside.
Inside.
When the judges approved our judicial review
they slammed the Military Police and the Ministry of Defence
for not going far enough.
Took our side on every point of substance.
Left the government no option but a full public inquiry.
Listen to this, Patrick.
It's not some Guardian editorial.
This is from the judge's own ruling.
"In our view, the Military Police investigation
relating to allegations of murder and torture
was deficient." It wasn't fit for purpose.
No major incident room.
Failure to identity or interview relevant personnel.
Failure to seize all contemporaneous records.
Failure to interview the detainees.
Well, you've done an amazing job, Phil
no one's doubting that.
Getting a public inquiry awarded is an extraordinary achievement
for a practice this size.
But?
But nothing.
So, the eminent barrister's coming on board?
Coming on with the legal team who, uh...
Hang on.
Where is it?
How did the judges describe us, Deena?
They said we were greatly outnumbered
by the Secretary of State's legal team
but persisted with requests for disclosure skilfully
and with commendable determination.
Commendable determination, Patrick.
Couldn't have put it better myself.
That war shames our nation, Patrick.
That's not what the inquiry is about.
Ever thought of getting a bigger office, Phil?
Having the walls closing in concentrates the mind.
Doesn't it, Deena? - That's the theory, yes.
Right, so, what have you got?
"We", Patrick. We. Come on.
We've got 20 dead Iraqis taken off the battlefield.
Taken why?
The Army says they needed to ID the bodies
but our witnesses say at least some of them were alive
when they left the battlefield.
And some of them were beaten and shot back at the camp
after they were detained.
More to the point, the Army say they were combatants
and the families say they weren't.
What are you looking for? - The trophy pictures.
Over there.
Shift your arse, Patrick. You're sitting on Exhibit A.
Public Interest Lawyers. Hi, Carrie.
Is that...? - Yeah.
Show these to Patrick.
I'll pass you over to him.
Carrie? Hi, yes, I've got...
So these are photos taken by soldiers on the day.
You can see blood on the soldiers' hands in this one.
Why do the Army need to take dead Iraqis for ID-ing
if they had all these cameras in the field?
Exactly! Carrie, I'm gonna pass you back to Deena.
One second. - Oh.
Hi, Carrie... - There were cameras everywhere.
It doesn't make sense.
Look at these.
Look at the condition of these prisoners. It's shameful.
I interviewed this guy in Istanbul.
He's willing to testify. He's just a farmer.
Almost all of them
say they were denied water.
They've clearly been knocked about.
It's a fucking disgrace, Patrick
and it's our chance to expose it.
Our duty to expose it.
Phil, that's another delivery.
Well, can you deal with it?
The Iraqi witnesses, what's your process there?
Er, vetted by my man in Iraq.
If he thinks they've got what it takes
then I meet them
on neutral ground in Istanbul.
The funding?
The High Court ordered the MOD
to reimburse all our costs getting us this far.
Door's open, come on up.
You know how many gallantry awards
went to the soldiers at Danny Boy?
Ten.
And to a man, they'll be saying
the Iraqi witnesses are liars.
That the men they killed were soldiers, shot in battle.
- No one was mistreated. - Course they will.
But you and I know what British soldiers
are capable of doing to detainees.
Baha Mousa proved that.
And this is just as grave and important as that.
Only more sprawling. - That's an understatement.
It's an uphill struggle, Patrick, I get that.
It always is.
There's 40 shipping containers of disclosure
for us to wade through.
- Signature, please. - Hm? Oh.
This is the MOD sending us a haystack, saying
"Good luck finding the needle." Thanks.
Do you want this job or don't you?
Cos, as you can probably see
we've got a lot of work to get through.
I'll start with a sandwich. - Hm?
Well, they've got crusts on, Patrick.
Do you think you can cope with that?
You struggling, Dad? - Are you havin' a laugh?
Think I cannae handle a couple of suitcases?
I'll put you through some proper PT, boy.
Now don't you be worrying, either of you.
Not gonna worry. - Call us any time.
Alright. - We're off.
Good luck. - See you when I see you.
I'll give you a bell when we get back.
- What's going on, little man? - He loves that boy.
Loves them both.
Alright, hen? You heard what Margaret said.
Get him back for me.
Getting angry at what's happening to him...
It's not the same as getting him through it.
Are you trying to tell me how to father my son?
You've done a very good job of fathering him, Gavin.
He's just like you. He's a soldier, like you.
He keeps it all in-house, like you.
He doesn't let on what's going on up here
and he really thinks that's working.
He's like you.
He's just like you.
Point two, Charlie, eh?
Point two. Oh! Is that the one you want to hear?
OK.
Point two.
"That you've given...
an untruthful and/or inaccurate account
in suggesting that the Iraqis you apprehended
had with them any weapons at all.
You're incorrect to suggest or imply
that they had been shooting at... British troops."
Three.
"Any failure to report the misconduct or...
or the allegations of misconduct of which you were aware
is the direct result...
...by you, deliberately...
to conceal the misconduct of others."
What kind of soldiers are you?
What's that? - Hm?
What was what, sir?
See you got a letter, then, Woody. That from the inquiry?
Yeah. I did, sir.
Me too.
How's that sitting with you now, then?
I love soldiering, sir.
I do, but...
right now, it's...
Train you up, send you out to fight
then you get back for questioning.
I mean, what's that about? - Yeah, they were firing at us.
Yeah, live rounds.
And, no, I didn't... gouge anyone's eye out.
You had all that, too?
Yeah.
Still think about them days?
Danny Boy and the rest?
Five years ago now. More.
I do, sir.
Yeah.
Tough days.
Punchy days.
Yeah.
Immense.
Who do you talk to about them days?
Prefer to just sort of...
you know, keep it where it is, sir.
For the time being.
Got a shifting cargo, though, Woody.
You sure that's a good idea?
Ever thought about knocking on a door
and getting some help with that?
I'm fine, sir.
You were just a kid then, Woody.
But you're not now.
Knock on a door.
I did.
OK. Stress test.
Their claims against ours.
Deena.
The orders to take away the bodies.
Everything flows from that.
If they were dead, like the Army says
removing them is unprecedented and needs a better explanation.
If they were alive, like the families say...
then they must've been executed.
Hm. So who gave that order?
No one seems to know.
If the dead bodies needed ID-ing
why didn't they photograph them there? Hm?
Instead of transporting them.
The trophy pictures show that there were cameras present.
If you were an Iraqi mother
searching through shredded bodies
in a morgue two days later
you would suspect something very bad.
Lots of unanswered questions.
Patrick.
Bit of balance?
Well, the inquiry will want to test
the credibility of the witnesses.
When did their injuries occur?
How can anyone be sure
they weren't members of a militia group?
And the dead, too, for that matter--
The militia stuff...
Neither side can prove that. That's our word against theirs.
It's not "our" word, Phil, it's the witnesses'.
We present their evidence to the inquiry, we don't own it.
Very noble, Patrick.
Why did the Military Police drop their investigation?
Incompetence or cover-up?
OK, what do we say to that one?
We say incompetence or cover-up. Anything else?
As I'm reading, I'm trying to put myself in the position
of the Army soldiers. - Useful exercise.
If you're fired up and you've been shot at
and you're charging across a field
and someone puts their hands up...
where does the war bit stop
and the arrest and restraint bit start?
That's the inquiry's focus in a nutshell.
What happens after the war bit stops?
It's grey... It's a grey area.
OK.
It is. So, you're fired up
you've been shot at
you've taken a guy with his hands up prisoner
and you live that grey area, you're in it.
Maybe you knock him about. Is that what you're saying?
Why wouldn't you? - I guess.
Hm. Well, here's your answer.
Because they're British soldiers.
They're trained
to be better than that. - Right.
I mean, either they are or they aren't. Right?
Either they are better than that or they're not.
Sorry. Have to take this.
Hello? Yeah.
And...
Go on.
The arrangements we used to gather our witnesses
the fact that we've operated through a middleman
some of the financial arrangements...
What?
Well... is all of that definitely OK?
We literally had no choice.
Either we let the killings of 20 potentially innocent Iraqis
go unchallenged, or we do what we did.
What choice did we have?
If we win, it'll all be forgotten.
If we lose, it'll all be irrelevant.
Can't abide the coffee they have here.
But if I leave my good coffee in the kitchen
everyone drinks it.
I've had your statement typed up
into the same basic form as the other soldiers.
I want you to read it through now
and say if it's an accurate reflection of what you told me.
Let's have it out loud.
There's a good chap.
It's good practice.
Yeah.
"I deployed to Iraq on the 8th of April 2004
in support of Operation TELIC 4.
I deployed as a Lance Corporal with A Platoon, C Company
1st Battalion, the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment.
This was my first deployment to Iraq.
My role was as dismount commander
and I would rarely get out of the Warrior
as we would be vulnerable to incoming fire.
The plan was to go to the side of trench one
and take the enemy by surprise.
Three of us returned fire
in an attempt to suppress the enemy position.
When I reached the trench
there were still four enemy combatants within it.
One of them was shouting in Arabic.
He had his hands in the air and continued to shout.
Get down! Get down!
I shouted back at him something along the lines of...
Get your fucking hands up!
"Put your fucking hands up."
The detainees were grabbed by their clothes
or arms and forced down.
There was a large number of weapons.
Once the search had been completed
the detainees' hands were plasticuffed
and they were blindfolded.
CSM Falconer took charge of the situation
and said that he and I were to advance
to trench two to check it was clear.
I saw an enemy combatant stand up and aim at CSM Falconer
who reacted very quickly.
Immediately after this, I saw another aimed at me.
I fired two rounds at him and saw him drop to the ground.
As we were walking back
two enemy emerged with their hands up.
We had not seen them or been aware of them at all.
It was lucky for us that they chose to surrender
rather than engage.
The order to collect the dead was an unusual order.
It would be normal to leave the dead on the battlefield.
I had not been in such a situation previously
and collecting the dead was a horrible job
that no one wanted to do.
I was not offered any counselling
when I returned from my tour.
I do not recall attending any debrief
at the end of my tour either.
I believe the facts in this witness statement are true."
OK.
Well done.
You alright?
Hang on.
Isn't he home?
He's usually home by now.
Uh, yeah, I don't know.
You haven't knocked?
You were right.
You were right in what you said.
OK.
Do you wanna come in? - No, just...
Just get Brian out here for me, will you, love?
Brian. - Dad.
You know I love you, son.
Up to now, maybe. Is that what you're saying?
See, that's just exactly it. That's...
That's exactly it. That's where Lucy's got her head screwed on
and me and you havnae. That's... See, that's what it...
That's where she's exactly right.
Lucy? Dad...
Keep it all in-house, keep it in the headspace.
What's the fucking point, eh?
I can see what you're doing, Brian
and you took your cue from me.
And it's no good. It's no good at all.
I shouldnae have done it and you shouldnae be doing it.
All that, "I'm a tough guy" bollocks.
Cos that's what it is. Total bollocks.
There's naebody tough. None of us.
No' me. No' you. No' Arnie bloody...
Schwarzenegger.
Aye.
You remember how I told you about my pal
who got shot by the IRA? Shot and killed by the IRA?
Yeah.
And how I got promoted to Lance Corporal cos he was dead.
Right after the funeral.
They even give me his callsign.
I didn't... I didn't know that. - Aye, well, now you do.
I didnae even think about it. I was 20 years old.
But see, later, that gnawed at me.
It gnawed at me.
You know, his dying and me just stepping up
and saying to the major, "Aye, sure, gimme his stripes.
I'll take his callsign."
It's like I wiped him off the record.
No thought about anything else.
"Just gotta get these tapes sewed on." That was it.
But he found his way back in.
And rightly so.
There's never been a day from that moment to this
that I havnae thought about him, but did I tell anybody?
Dad-- - You know what it...
You know what it felt like? It felt like...
It felt like I had to live my life and his.
That's what it felt like.
That's what I meant when I said the dead have questions for you.
You see, when you join the Army
you're part of something massive.
You know, "We're all in this together."
But see, when it comes to the knocks you take, we're...
we're all a closed book.
OK.
I'm not a good example, Brian.
And that hurts me.
It hurts me to see you following that example.
OK. Come in now, Dad. Come on.
No, no, no. I've said what I came to say.
I couldn't be more proud of you, son!
I couldnae be more proud of you.
It's me I'm ashamed of.
For not saying it to you sooner.
I said to your mother, I said I couldnae even contemplate...
Aye, sure, I served 23 years
but I cannae even contemplate what my son went through.
I'm in awe of that.
I have no experience of that.
And that hurts, as a father.
I sent you places I've never been.
You were there, Dad.
You were there.
Oh, no!
Babe.
What did you say to him?
I said he should tell you what was on his mind.
And did he? - Yeah.
Well, that's a good start then, isn't it?
Yeah.
Alright, Bailey boy.
You beat your mum. Can you beat your dad?
That was a good shot.
And again.
Oh-ho-ho. Oh!
Dad!
Bastard.
A public inquiry opens today
into some of the most serious allegations
to have emerged from the Iraq war.
It'll examine claims that British troops
murdered up to 20 Iraqis
following a gun battle in 2004
and that nine detainees were mistreated.
The inquiry is expected
to last for around a year.
Stop, please, sir. Thank you.
Just a few last-minute thoughts.
Oh. Even more last-minute than your 2am email?
The inquiry's terms of reference are as follows
and I quote: "To investigate and report on the allegations
made by the claimants against British soldiers.
It is also necessary to examine
the broad circumstances of the battle, the conduct
and the actions of the soldiers and Iraqis involved
and the manner and cause of death.
Why is this inquiry taking place?
This is a legitimate question for all participants to ask
in light of the public expense
and resources inevitably involved.
There is a clear answer
and that is because of the credible allegations
of unlawful killing by British soldiers of Iraqi civilians...
Tank chaser.
You care to repeat that?
Why do you hate us so much, Mr Shiner?
I've represented more soldiers
than any other lawyer in the country.
Disaffected soldiers, maybe.
Is there any other kind, really? In the end?
A boy at school says you're a murderer.
And that's what's upsetting you?
That is upsetting.
And what'd you say?
He didn't say it to me.
He just said it.
Well, he must've said it to somebody.
Come here, little man.
Say you're not.
Not what? - Dad.
Bailey...
do I look like a murderer to you?
Hm?
Come on. Get to bed.
Right, goodnight.
Did you forget your kecks?
Is that a problem?
You OK?
Yeah, I'm OK.
Sure you don't want me to come?
Yeah.
Yeah, no, I'll be fine.
I'll be thinking about you.
Babe, I'm taking Bailey to school before I go to London.
OK.
Cheers.
Yo, let's get a move on.
Hey, you be good for your mum now, little man. Yeah?
And you be good for me too.
Yeah. I'll be as good as gold, babe.
Yo.
Love you. Have a good day. - Thanks.
So...
someone at school said that I was a murderer, yeah?
Do you think they'd say that to my face?
Huh? Why not?
Cos you're bigger than them. - Yeah?
And who's bigger? Them or you?
Them.
Yeah.
Don't come to school, Dad.
Hey. Come here.
Look...
for the record, Bailey...
I did kill people.
In Iraq... in a battle.
But I'm a soldier
and sometimes, that's what soldiers have to do.
What do you think about that?
OK.
There's a difference between that and being a murderer.
What is it?
That's what I'm going to London today to talk about.
Who's up today?
Brian Wood and...
Chris Broome.
What's that?
Who sent this?
The inquiry wanted an audit of evidence for disclosure
from all the different teams. This just turned up.
Turned up? From where? From our side?
Maybe it was at the bottom of a pile somewhere.
So the local warlord
lists all Iraqi dead and detainees as his soldiers.
Everyone there on the day.
Shit.
If they were soldiers, not farmers
the inquiry won't believe anything else we say.
Why didn't we know about this?
We should have known about this!
Phil!
For all we know, it's...
it's complete bullshit. It's...
propaganda put about by local Iraqi militia.
Turning them into martyrs. It's...
The judge will throw it out as irrelevant.
Will he? How can you know that?
Cos Patrick will point them in that direction. It's obvious.
You told me a case is only as strong as its weakest evidence.
This casts doubt on our witnesses!
I'll tell you what's not in doubt.
They're a bunch of lads with Kalashnikovs
that British troops threw 13,000 rounds at.
That's what they are.
Lads at breakfast, soldiers at teatime
lads again by bedtime, if they lasted that long.
I'll brief Patrick.
What did they say? - About the list?
What do you think?
They're taking it at face value?
Inquiry's already underwhelmed by some of our witnesses
and it's on headed paper, it's got a bloody rubber stamp.
It's probably just a boast, not a fucking employment record.
Our witnesses have most probably never even seen that list.
Yeah, shame we hadn't either.
It makes no difference.
It makes no difference at all to the human rights issues.
It makes no difference to what's important.
It's one piece of evidence amongst a mountain of stuff.
It's not one piece, though, is it?
It's part of a picture that's emerging.
A picture that's not the one you wanted to see.
It doesn't mean that terrible things didn't happen that day
or that everything our witnesses say is lies.
I know that, Phil.
But things like this, you start to look at best naive
and at worst mendacious.
It came out of nowhere!
It came out of somewhere you didn't look.
Some evidence has just come to light.
An official list from the local Iraqi militia.
It clearly identifies all the dead and all the detainees
as members of their armed group.
It looks like they weren't just farmers, Brian.
You know what my vehicle commander said?
At Danny Boy, when it was over?
He said he didn't see the elders there.
Didn't see the ones in charge
who'd sent these kids out in flip-flops to fight us.
Then sent them halfway round the world
to fight us again in court.
Where are they when shit hits the fan?
Well, quite.
If these people wanna go and make war a crime
that's up to them
but I didn't do anything to be ashamed of in Al Amara.
I fought for my country.
And I'm proud of what I did.
But not doing anything to be ashamed of...
doesn't stop me from feeling ashamed.
Who's that?
How does it feel to be accused of war crimes?
Brian Wood.
♪ In the mountain ♪
♪ The coloured leaves are falling... ♪
Corporal Wood?
♪ Shots were fired ♪
♪ From the darkest moments ♪
♪ Like a child ♪
♪ Speaking to a stranger... ♪
Who's going to be there?
Lawyers, mainly.
Um...
Some soldiers.
People from Iraq.
Because you killed people?
Well, not just me. There was a lot of people killed, mate.
And when you've talked about it, then what?
Well, when I've finished talking about it, then, er...
then I've finished with being a soldier.