A wooden shield with a gold 1st Field Hospital badge on top. In the middle are two crossed rifles over a map of south vietnam. Written on the map is South vietnam, Saigon, Nui dat, Vung Tan. On the bottom of the shield there is a plaque which reads "Presented to the 1st Field Australian Hospital Association by Dorothy Mellowship in memory of her late husband WO1 "Blue" Mellowship - Vietnam 1970 - 197118cm x 23cmshield, 1st australian field hospital, south vietnam, saigon, nui dat, vung tan

Ill, maps, p.280non-fictionThis inside story of an Australian Field Hospital during the Vietnam War is told through a compilation of operational facts interspersed with the personal experiences of those who served and the patients who passed through the hospital doors, into their care.Call Sign VAMPIRE provides a window into the frenetic world of a military hospital in a war zone through evocative, sometimes confronting imagery. In this environment time was of the essence and life often hung in the balance.vietnam conflict - australian involvement, 1st australian field ambulance