Free learning resources from arts, cultural and heritage organisations.

Teachers' Notes

Resource created by Leeds Museums and Galleries with the University of Leeds.

 

Overview 

This story is based on the memoir Memoirs of a WWII Sergeant by Phylactis Aristokleous, a Cypriot soldier who served with the Cyprus Regiment during the Second World War. Captured in Greece, he spent more than two years in German prisoner-of-war camps, including Stalag 383 in Bavaria. 

His memoir offers a rare view of life inside a POW camp told from a Cypriot perspective. It shows how men faced hunger, cold and loss, and how small acts of kindness, humour and faith helped them to survive. 

 

Curriculum Links 

Key Stages: 3–4

Subjects: History, English, Citizenship, PSHE 

History 

  • World War II and life in prisoner-of-war camps. 
  • The role of the British Empire and Commonwealth soldiers. 
  • International law: the Hague and Geneva Conventions. 

English 

  • Using memoirs as historical evidence. 
  • Writing with voice and perspective. 
  • Comparing first-hand and secondary sources. 

Citizenship / PSHE 

  • Moral choices and fairness under pressure. 
  • Human rights and responsibility in wartime. 
  • Resilience and empathy in extreme conditions. 

 

Learning Objectives 

Students will: 

  • Understand what daily life was like for prisoners of war. 
  • Learn about the experiences of Cypriot and Commonwealth soldiers. 
  • Explore how people record and remember difficult experiences. 
  • Reflect on courage, endurance, and moral decision-making. 

 

Discussion Questions 

  • What helped Phylactis and others survive imprisonment? 
  • How does his story show the importance of dignity and fairness? 
  • What do his memories tell us about how war affected ordinary people? 
  • Why is it important that stories like this are recorded and shared? 

 

Classroom Activities 

  1. Letters and Memory - Write a short letter home as if you were a prisoner in the camp. Use details from the story to describe your surroundings and feelings.
  2. Choices and Consequences - Debate: Was Phylactis right to share his food with another man? How might others in the camp have seen it differently?
  3. Maps and Movement - Trace Phylactis’s journey from Cyprus to Greece and on to Germany. Mark the camps and note the conditions in each place.
  4. Drama and Performance - Recreate a short scene from the camp theatre or the raffle for a loaf of bread. Discuss how humour and teamwork helped the men survive.

 

Differentiation 

  • Use audio re-enactments and simplified text for accessibility. 
  • Provide vocabulary support (e.g. “ration,” “captivity,” “conscience”). 
  • Pair students for reading or role-play tasks. 
  • Use short, focused questions to check understanding. 

 

Glossary 

Allies – The countries, including Britain, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union, that fought against Nazi Germany and its partners during the Second World War. 

British Red Cross – A humanitarian organisation that helped prisoners of war by sending food parcels, clothing, and letters, and by tracing missing soldiers. 

Cyprus Regiment – A unit of the British Army formed in Cyprus in 1940. It included Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot volunteers who served in the Middle East, Greece, and Italy. 

Geneva Convention – An international agreement that sets out rules for the treatment of prisoners of war and civilians during conflict. 

Hague Convention – Earlier international treaties that, like the Geneva Convention, aimed to make war more humane by protecting prisoners and non-combatants. 

POW (Prisoner of War) – A soldier captured by the enemy and kept in a camp until the end of fighting. 

Red Cross Parcel – A package of food, soap, cigarettes, and other essentials sent by the Red Cross to prisoners of war. These parcels often made the difference between starvation and survival. 

Stalag – Short for Stammlager, a German word meaning “main camp.” It referred to a permanent prisoner-of-war camp for non-commissioned soldiers. 

Testimony – A first-hand account of personal experience. In history, testimonies help us understand what people saw, felt, and remembered. 

Varnsdorf – A town near the modern border of the Czech Republic and Germany where Phylactis was first held in a labour camp before being moved deeper into Germany.