oak leaf award

[farrar]

I have got the war records for Thomas Henry Rush, my grandfather's brother.who was killed in France in 1915 serving in the royal horse artillery. I have seen a series of interesting letters between his widow and the Regiment. He was killed after the creation of the Oak Leaf award for mention in dispatches. His widow spent a few months battling to get him the Oak leaf after the war, which she finally achieved.

Can anyone shed any light on this award and how it ranked in importance ie. the was it issued for bravery?

[Laurence Strong]

http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-medals/history-mid.htm