 Promoted to lieutenant on 24 February 1917 , Towner 's service with his transport section earned him praise for his " devotion to duty and consistent good work " , and on 9 April he was Mentioned in the Despatches of Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig . Towner was granted leave to the United Kingdom in January 1918 . He received a second Mention in Despatches on 7 April 1918 , the notification of which was published in a supplement to the London Gazette on 28 May . 
