 In June 1918 , Whittle was posted to the 2nd Army Central School for a five @-@ week stint . Returning to the 12th Battalion in mid @-@ July , Whittle was wounded in action for the third time ; suffering shrapnel wounds to his right elbow , he was admitted to the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance on 25 July . Evacuated to England , he was admitted to the Central Military Hospital , Eastbourne , before transferring to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital , Dartford , two weeks later . During this time , Billy Hughes , as Prime Minister of Australia , invited several of Australia 's Victoria Cross recipients of the war to return to Australia and assist in a recruiting drive ; Whittle was among a group of ten who accepted the offer . The party embarked aboard HMAT Medic on 24 August , bound for Melbourne . Arriving seven weeks later , Whittle returned to Tasmania and assisted with recruiting on the island during the last few weeks of the war . Following the Armistice , he was discharged from the Australian Imperial Force on 15 December 1918 . 
