 A Company — now under Lieutenant Lawrence Clark following Chitts ' wounding that afternoon — had only just succeeded in breaking contact from the Chinese , suffering a number killed and wounded during a confused withdrawal . Meanwhile , B Company had also been forced to fight its way down the hill . Both companies were now well clear of their former positions and would have had a hard time fighting their way back . Ultimately it was too late for the Australians to regain the feature in darkness , and the weight of the Chinese attack continued to mount . Only D Company on the southern right flank — which had been left unmolested — was able to regain its previous position on Hill 63 . Meanwhile , the positions previously occupied by A and B Companies were occupied by the Chinese in superior numbers , and the remainder of 3 RAR concentrated at the railway crossing instead . At 22 : 00 Coad arranged to shell and mortar the relinquished ridge , while a standing patrol from the Middlesex was posted on the south @-@ western side of the Maenjung @-@ dong pass in anticipation of a renewed Chinese attack . However , following heavy fighting the pressure on the Australians unexpectedly ceased after midnight , and parties of Chinese were observed beginning to withdraw . 
