The fighting took place on a key position on the Jamestown Line known as "the Hook", and resulted in the defending UN troops, including the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2 RAR) from the 28th British Commonwealth Brigade and the US 7th Marine Regiment, repulsing numerous assaults by the PVA 137th Division during two concerted night attacks, inflicting numerous casualties on the PVA with heavy artillery and small-arms fire.

With the peace talks in Panmunjom reaching a conclusion, the Chinese had been eager to gain a last-minute victory over the UN forces, and the battle was the last of the war before the official signing of the Korean armistice.

[3] Amid heavy fighting on the afternoon of 4 November the PVA recaptured Hill 317, which was by then held by the 1st Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers, in an action for which Private Bill Speakman was later awarded the Victoria Cross.

[5] The 1st Commonwealth Division, which included British, Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, and Indian troops, subsequently occupied part of the Jamestown Line—a UN defensive position that extended 250 kilometres (160 mi) across central Korea—in the US I Corps' sector on the US Eighth Army's left flank.

[6] From 19 January 1952, the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, (3 RAR) was in defence on the Jamestown Line as part of the 28th British Commonwealth Brigade before going into reserve on 18 April, where they remained until the end of June.

[7] Meanwhile, in early 1952, the Australian government had agreed to an American request to increase its forces in Korea, dispatching a second infantry battalion to join 3 RAR which had been fighting since September 1950.

[7] 1 RAR implemented an aggressive patrol program in an effort to regain control of no-man's land from the PVA, which had been allowed to establish hides close to the perimeter.

[21] The front subsequently returned to its usual defensive routine, but following a temporary break-down in negotiations after the unilateral release of 25,000 anti-communist Chinese and North Korean prisoners of war by President of South Korea Syngman Rhee, the PVA had renewed large-scale attacks on 24 June.

[22] Concentrating on the Republic of Korea Army (ROK) divisions in the eastern and central sectors, the PVA launched another offensive in June in an attempt to convince the South Korean leader to come to terms.

The 28th British Commonwealth Brigade, under the command of an Australian officer, Brigadier John Wilton, subsequently took over the battered defences on the Hook on 9–10 July 1953, on the division's left.

[27][30][Note 4] The positions occupied by the Australians had been badly damaged by the PVA assaults and bombardments in May and June, and recent rain had also collapsed some trenches and weakened many of the wire obstacles,[19] yet the extensive tunnel system, dug by the Canadians the previous winter, remained intact and afforded some protection.

[20] The PVA focused most of their attention on the 7th Marine Regiment, which was occupying positions south-west of 2 RAR after having relieved the Turkish Brigade there, and thereby allowed the Australians some time to prepare.

[46] With the PVA eager to gain a last-minute victory over the UN forces and the tactical advantage offered to the side that held the Hook after the truce, simultaneous attacks were soon launched against 2 RAR and the 7th Marine Regiment on the left flank, in two major actions on the nights of 24/25 and 25/26 July.

[49] A forward Australian standing patrol from D Company subsequently clashed heavily with the PVA probe, losing five wounded before directing tank and artillery fire, which dispersed their attackers.

A further attack followed another barrage at 23:25, but was again repelled and faltered before reaching the wire during fierce fighting with grenades and small arms, with the assault failing largely due to the weight of defensive artillery fire.

[54] The attack coincided with the ongoing relief in place of the defenders by the 1st Marine Regiment under the command of Colonel Wallace M. Nelson, and it subsequently succeeded in temporarily penetrating the American positions on Hill 111.

[59] In the 7th Marine Regiment's sector, heavy shelling, small-arms fire, and hand-to-hand fighting continued around Boulder City into the early morning on 25 July.

[17][57] Unhindered by the restrictions on ammunition usage which had applied to the marines during this period, the supporting fires of the British-Commonwealth 3.45-inch (88 mm) 25-pounder field guns proved of considerable assistance.

[57] Before the battle, a section from the 2 RAR Medium Machine Gun Platoon had been stationed within the American perimeter near Hill 111 to provide covering fire across the area between the positions occupied by the marines and the Australians.

[53] Commanded by Sergeant Brian Cooper, they soon found themselves in the thick of the fighting, firing their Vickers machine guns in support of the Australian positions and to defend themselves from the weight of the PVA main attack, which fell on the marines.

[50] Cooper was later awarded the Military Medal for his leadership, with the stubborn defence of the Australians contributing to the break-up of the PVA attack, which at one stage had threatened to overrun the marine position.

[61] At 08:20 on the morning of 25 July, the PVA again assaulted the marines on Hill 119 in company strength, but were soon halted by American artillery and mortar fire, which inflicted heavy losses; skirmishing continued for the remainder of the day.

[62] The PVA continued to heavily shell the American positions, and by late afternoon, 13,500 mortar and artillery rounds had fallen on the sector held by 7th Marine Regiment.

[63] Meanwhile, the Australian positions on the Hook were also heavily shelled throughout the day, forcing many of the defenders underground into the network of tunnels then being extended by a team of New Zealand sappers.

During the fighting, Crockford had repeatedly exposed himself to PVA fire, and had even run across no-man's land to provide situation reports to the marine command post on Hill 111.

[Note 5] The New Zealand gunners had played a crucial role in stemming the PVA assault, and during these final actions, the commander of 163 Battery, 16 RNZA—Major James Spence—had positioned himself well-forward to effectively co-ordinate the indirect fires of his guns.

[67] During the final month of the war, heavy fighting had occurred across the central and eastern fronts,[75] yet in the Commonwealth sector itself, the only PVA attacks had been made against 2 RAR holding the Hook on the nights of 24–25 and 25–26 July.

[77][78][Note 6] With the Chinese determined to gain local territorial advantage prior to signing the ceasefire, the UN command had suffered 65,000 casualties during the final three months of the war, while the PVA lost at least 135,000.

[84] During August and September, sappers from the 1st Commonwealth Division were subsequently engaged clearing minefields and demolishing many of their former defended localities and field defences, while new battle positions were established to the rear.

[84][86][Note 7] The period that followed proved uneventful, yet the UN forces were required to maintain combat readiness and the ability to react quickly in case the North Koreans violated the ceasefire.