Actually this is a GOC Commendation Card. It is one level below the MiD. It is not well known and was a WW1 experiment that was increased during WW2. Cheers, Ted Harris ----- Original Message ----- From: "Neville Gibbons" <ngibbo@netspace.net.au> To: <AUS-MILITARY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, July 21, 2006 4:00 AM Subject: RE: [AUS-MIL] Mentioned in Despatches? > Morning Linda, > > I have reviewed his file, your question relates to the period during the > Battle of Messines, south of Ypres Belguim, during which he received a gun > shot wound to the back. Page 38 has no entry of being awarded a Mention in > Dispatches. I have checked the Honour and Awards Recommendations file at the > Australian War Memorial again no mention of a formal recommendation. From > the entry on Page 8 of his file, it states he was worthy of being mentioned > in the 10th Infantry Brigade Routine Orders for his conduct nduring the > Battle and it was taken no further apart from being noted on his file. We > the (Army) can still do on occasion mention a person in the units Routine > Orders and this is recorded on their Personal File, information such as this > would be used either on their Annual Report in the case of a NCO, or when > considering the promotion of a Private soldier as what appears to have > happened to Donald when he returned to the Battalion after his spell in > Hospitial with his Gunshot Wound. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Linda Barraclough [mailto:kapana@netspace.net.au] > Sent: Thursday, 20 July 2006 3:39 PM > To: AUS-MILITARY-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [AUS-MIL] Mentioned in Despatches? > > > Hi Everyone, > > I am beavering away on my Whitelaw article - thank you to all who > have offered assistance. > > I do have one specific question, if anyone can help. At the bottom of > Page 8 in the dossier of Donald John Whitelaw at > > http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/imagine.asp?B=8386216&I=1&SE=1 > > There is an entry headed "Laudatory" which talks of his conduct > during, I think, the Messines campaign. > > Is this what is normally referred to as "Mentioned in Despatches"? Or > is it some other form of comment that was routinely attached to files? > > Thanks, in advance, for any advice, > > Linda > > > ==== AUS-MILITARY Mailing List ==== > First AIF Order of Battle 1914-1918 > http://www.adfa.edu.au/~rmallett/index.html >

Hi All: The 1st NZEF Honours & Awards were of course listed in the London Gazette, and they are also given the New Zealand Expeditionary Force Orders (A printed seris from Admin HQ London by Lieut-Gen Godley; the Defence Dept Library, Wellington has bound copies of them). There are several paras in 1917 noting "Gallant Conduct" though no award or MID; eg Lt C. L. Mullaney for supporting a drowning swimmer off Brighton Pier on 17 August 1917. Many of the citations in the Orders are extracts from the London Gazette Supplements, and it is interesting to note the persons authorised to issue various awards: A VC to Corp L W Andrew: "His Majesty the King has been graciously pleased .... " (1917) For three Military Medals: "The Corps Commander, II ANZAC Corps, under authority delegated to him, has awarded the following decorations for acts of gallantry in the Field:- " and for the NZEF Egypt: "Under authority delegated to him, the GOC Eastern Force has .... " Yours, John Wilson (New Zealand)