Richard Napier, (a tank commander in the battle) in his book From Horses to Chieftains recalls:
25 April 1951: After about three hours of continuous firing, my machine gun barrels needed changing; my recoil system was so hot that it wouldn’t run back and my loader/operator Ken Hall, had fainted with the continual hard work and fumes.
Napier relates how, unable to use his weapons he withdrew, allowing infantrymen to hitch a ride on his tank. The Chinese had infiltrated behind them and were swarming around them, shooting at the infantrymen on the tank.
The crew resorted to lobbing grenades out of the hatches at the mass of Chinese infantry. On one occasion, the Centurion tanks of the 8th Hussars were swamped by Chinese soldiers who were attempting to prise open the hatches to throw grenades inside.
The response of the Irish Hussars were to turn the turrets of their tanks towards each other, and “hose” the enemy off with their Besa machine guns.
On their return to the British Lines, these tanks were said to have “ran red with the blood of dead Chinese.” Human detritus was also caught up in the tracks as the tanks had run over a number of Chinese and (unfortunately) some British dead.
With the final withdrawal of ‘C’ Squadron, the battle was over, the last shots being fired by Major Huth.
C Squadron then split into two components, one under Major Huth supporting the Northumberland Fusiliers with one troop detached to the Glosters, the other under Capt Strachan in support of the Royal Ulster Rifles.
They held their positions for two days in anticipation of further Chinese attacks which did not come before withdrawing to Seoul.
Major Henry Huth received the DSO for his part in the Imjin battles and Captain Peter Ormrod won the Military Cross.
