Camera bag : D S Gibbons, Photojournalist

American khaki army issue medical instrument and supply satchel used as a camera bag. Satchel is supplied with an adjustable canvas webbing shoulder strap consists of one main zippered compartment and two smaller zippered compartments which stack one atop the other, all enclosed by a generous closing flap. The following is printed on the inside of the flap: 'LADY MAC CORSET CO INC DSA 120-67-C 3601 6545-912-98700 CASE MEDICAL INSTRUMENT AND SUPPLY SET, NON RIGID No 3, EMPTY'. A selection of cameras and lenses are stored in the bag (see REL33471.002 to REL33471.010).

Born in Sydney in 1937, Denis Gibbons had undertaken army training and work as a news photographer in Sydney before he arrived in Vietnam in January 1966. For the next five years, Gibbons recorded the tours of nine Australian infantry battalions for Fairfax press and United Press International. Australian readers could regularly view his photographic essays in People magazine. In all, he took tens of thousands of black-and-white and colour photographic that together provide a very comprehensive view of the activities undertaken by Australians during the war.
The extended period spent by Gibbons in Vietnam was highly unusual among Australian photographers. Most official photographers and other photojournalists tended to spend just a few days photographing an operation before moving on. They were also based in Saigon, a city that remained far removed from the gritty reality of the war. However, Gibbons lived at the 1st Australian Task Force base at Nui Dat and was able to spend months with a particular unit. In this way he could record all areas of the work of Australians in great detail.
Gibbons was flown out of Vietnam in November 1970, after being wounded when an Armoured Personnel Carrier he was travelling in hit an enemy mine; he was wounded six times over the course of his five years in Vietnam.

• Nikomat FT (Nikkormat) 35 mm SLR camera with 135 mm telephoto lens : D S Gibbons, Photojournalist
• Nikomat FT (Nikkormat) 35 mm SLR camera with 35 mm wide angle lens : D S Gibbons, Photojournalist
• Olympus Pen-FT half frame 35 mm camera : D S Gibbons, Photojournalist
• Yashica 35 mm adaptor set : D S Gibbons, Photojournalist
• Boxed Rollei 1/1 baune lens : D S Gibbons, Photojournalist
• Boxed Rollei 1/1 bados lens : D S Gibbons, Photojournalist
• Boxed 35mm mount adapter N for half lens camera : D S Gibbons, Photojournalist
• Instruction booklet for Olympus PEN-FT camera : D S Gibbons, Photojournalist
• Nikon lens hood : D S Gibbons, Photojournalist