From Austinmer beach to the Western Front, World War I
Uncle Jack goes to war A brief account of the life of John 'Jack' Speirs (Spiers), former captain of Austinmer Surf Club who served with the 9 th Field Company of Engineers, Australian Imperial Force (AIF), in France, 1916-1919 Driver Jack Speirs, Australian Infantry Forces, circa 1917. Looking for a soldier.... During 2006 my son was faced with a high school assignment requiring him to write about a family member who went to war. He was stumped, and initially I could not help him, despite the fact that during the 1980s I had carried out detailed studies of the Organ family genealogy in connection with the colonial and convict periods of Australian history (Organ 1984). It appeared that none of our direct ancestors from the Organ line were involved in either Word War I (the Great War) 1914-18 or World War II (1939-45). My father Keith Organ (1930-2002), and grandfather Albert Eric Organ (1901-1979), were both too young to participate. However, upon inquiry, I found tha...