of 1944, as the headquarters of the 2nd Division was disbanded in April. By this time only the 3rd Motor Brigade, at Chidlows, and the 1st Armoured Brigade remained in Western Australia. The corps commander, Bennett, retired in May 1944; around the same time, the Australian government had decided to reduce the size of the Army. As a result, it was decided there was no longer a need for a corps-level headquarters to be maintained in Western Australia. In June 1944, the corps was re-designated as Western Command, and assumed the role of the previously existing line of communications area that had been established in the state earlier in the war. The final combat units in Western Australia were disbanded shortly afterwards, with the 3rd Motor and the 1st Armoured Brigades disbanding in August and November 1944, respectively. Western Command remained in existence until the end of the war, providing an administrative function for all troops in Western Australia. Order of battle The corps' assigned formations changed over the course of its existence as brigades and divisions were transferred in and out. Brigade allocations also changed as parent formations were disbanded throughout the corps' existence. The following formations were assigned to the corps over the course of its existence: 1st Armoured Division 1st Armoured Brigade 3rd Motor Brigade 2nd Division 5th Infantry Brigade 8th Infantry Brigade 4th Division 2nd Infantry Brigade 6th Infantry Brigade 8th Infantry Brigade 13th Infantry Brigade References Bibliography External links III Corps General Staff Branch war diary, Australian War Memorial III Corps Adjutant General Branch war diary, Australian War Memorial 3 Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944 Western Australia during World War II