Great Escapes

Suitable for: Key stage 3, Key stage 4, Key stage 5

Time period: Second World War 1939-1945

Curriculum topics: The Second World War

Suggested inquiry questions: What do the documents reveal about the experiences of people in captivity? What role was the role of the British government concerning those in captivity? What do the documents reveal about these experiences? Which other voices are missing? What other sources could you research to find out more?

Tasks

‘Great Escapes’ is a series of films combining puppetry, model-making and animation created by a group of 12 young people in August 2024. It took inspiration from an exhibition of the same name at The National Archives. The project allowed the group to explore the personal stories of those who sought to escape captivity during the Second World War.

The group worked with a filmmaking team led by Nigel Kellaway, as well as staff from the Education and Outreach department and record specialists.

The young people worked with original records such as internment camp and War Office reports, escape manuals created by MI9, maps and plans, newspaper articles and photographs to discover how ‘escaping’ entailed more than physical escape. From performing in theatres to close companionship, those in captivity found many ways to deal with the situation they found themselves in.

The series of films can now be used by teachers and students as a brief overviews or introductions to the themes explored within the films.

Tasks

Questions

The following questions can be asked of each film:

What type of documents are shown in the films?
What do the documents reveal about what life was like for people in captivity?
What ways did they seek to ‘escape’?
How do we view these stories today?
Can you find out about the laws relating to prisoners of war and civilian internees today?
Why are these documents kept at The National Archives?