There were two types of wound dressing issued for use in the field. Each soldier carried at least one First Field Dressing, the size of a cigarette packet. It contained a sterile gauze pad in a waterproof cover which which could be torn open and applied to a wound, by the soldier himself or by a mate or medic. The dressing cover had fabric ties to hold the dressing in place. Medics also carried a stock of Shell Dressings. These were larger (14x8x5cm) versions of the Field Dressing, to be used on more extensive wounds. They took up a fair measure of space in my back pack.

Of note is their origin - the British War Office - and date of manufacture, April 1915, a noteworthy month and year in Australian military history. Despite the fact that they were half a century old when being used in Vietnam they were perfectly serviceable and central to the care of hundreds of diggers in that long war.