Mentioned in Dispatches
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Mentioned in Dispatches (MID) is a military award for gallantry or otherwise commendable service. The award is relatively common, does not confer a medal and is relatively low in the order of precedence.
A dispatch is an official report from a senior commander, usually of an army, to his superiors, detailing the conduct of military operations. In the British military, this report is published in the London Gazette. If a subordinate officer or soldier performs a noteworthy action included in the report, he is said to have been "mentioned in dispatches".
In the nations of the British Commonwealth, soldiers who are mentioned in dispatches receive a certificate and are entitled to wear a bronze oak leaf on the ribbon of the service medal issued to soldiers who served in a conflict. If no campaign medal is awarded, the oak leaf is worn on the collar of dress uniform.
Soldiers can be mentioned multiple times but, other than receiving a certificate for each mention, they wear no visible sign. Australian general H.G. Bennett was mentioned in dispatches a total of eight times during WWI. British WWI Victoria Cross winner, John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort was mentioned in dispatches nine times.
External link
- History of the MID (http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-medals/history-mid.htm)