Informal group portrait of the crew of 1 Field Squadron Workshops, Royal Australian Engineers and ...

Informal group portrait of the crew of 1 Field Squadron Workshops, Royal Australian Engineers and Mechanical Engineers (RAEME) M113A1 fitters' vehicle Six Alpha. From left: 1736797 Craftsman (Cfn) Dennis John Whiting, a welder from Toowoomba, Queensland; 4721361 Cfn Richard Anthony Williams, a mechanic from Mt Gambier, SA and 58846 Corporal Robert Charles Seymour Bandy, a mechanic from Northampton, WA. The crew are responsible for the maintenance of D8H bulldozers and other equipment during a land clearing operation north east of the village of Binh Gia, near the Song Rai river.
M113A1 armoured personnel carriers modified as fitters' vehicles had a small crane and other specialised engineering equipment, being used to service and repair other M113A1s and earthmoving machinery in the field. By 1971 the fleet of Australian army M113A1s operating in South Vietnam were all fitted with 40mm belly armour as protection against blast damage from mines. This vehicle has also been fitted with a .50 calibre M2 Browning heavy machine gun (HMG) and protective shield, which two of the soldiers are leaning on. The vehicle has the call sign Six Alpha (6A) marked on the hull side.