 Following this , the battalions of the Australian Corps were removed from the line for rest on 5 October , after a request from the Australian prime minister , Billy Hughes . They had been severely depleted and were suffering from acute manpower shortages as a result of the combination of a decrease in the number of volunteers from Australia and the decision to grant home leave to men who had served for over four years . Subsequently , when the armistice was signed on 11 November 1918 , the Australian Corps had not returned to the front and was still in the rear reorganising and training . With the end of hostilities the demobilisation process began , and men were slowly repatriated back to Australia . The process took a considerable period of time , though , and a large number of men were able to undertake tertiary and vocational training in England and France to prepare for their return to civilian life . Finally , as numbers dwindled , the battalion was disbanded on 4 June 1919 . 
