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He knew that he must not fail and as he flew on to find his target he probably spent the remaining few moments considering all that was at stake. Of immediate paramount importance was the need to make certain the airstrip was kept safe, then the security of the "Rock" itself and long term of course was to do with that mythical thing about the traditional invincibility of the Rock of Gibraltar which he must have been taught about all his life.
Clearly now he could see exactly what the needs of the hour expected of him, to seek out and to deal decisively with the enemy before they could ever reach that airstrip and he well understood the price of success. The moment again for that old classic to rear it's ugly head, the one about what seems to have become the Englishman's prerogative to be able to decide the moment to make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of his native land. Such very special people were those flyers that Joubert had sent out to Gibraltar.
The man and his machine were about to combine to make a very formidable force indeed and whatever they were about to meet out there were already doomed. Now the three enemy planes were in sight and over the radio he confirmed, that they were the three engine Italian job S.M.82. Marsupial. He remained in radio contact throughout the engagement and was thus able to tell his listeners back at North front just what was happening out there above the blue Mediterranean on that summer afternoon in 1942.
The fury of his attack was such as to leave the enemy in no doubt about the ultimate outcome. Our Flight Lieutenant was now acting out the very moment he had been seeking for so long and quietly he could be heard through the intercom briefly detailing the action. It seemed only a matter of minutes before he had shot down the first one and had turned to finish off the second Bomber by which time the third Bomber had started to take some evasive action but to no avail as our Beau fighter Pilot was soon on to it and made ready to attack.
Any pilot at that point of an engagement would have been excused for breaking off with a feeling of a job well done as there would be no bombs dropped on Gibraltar that day but our Flt/Lieutenant knew that he had very little choice but to carry on to destroy the third enemy Bomber. He was well aware of the necessity, to maintain and further more to enhance the image of invincibility and to spell out the message that even the airspace at Gibraltar was forbidden territory to the enemy.
To do it now was all-important and as he drew close enough to line up his sights on to that unfortunate enemy bomber his finger pressed on to the firing button for the final kill. Just a few rounds and then nothing except for the clear voice of the Lieutenant coming through to his North Front listeners and making his last final statement "out of ammo will ram it".
Eternity for our Lieutenant but as decisive a victory as any squadron of Spitfire's could have achieved and such action could easily have become a legend for the R.A.F. but to attain the full effect only little could be said about it in order that the message went back loud and clear to the enemy to stay away from Gibraltar.
The whole episode of those two Beau fighters lasted just a few months and although seemingly clouded with muddle and failure had suddenly by the action of that very brave airman, been jelled into the precise formula needed at that time for making sure the "Rock" would remain free from enemy air attack for the rest of the war.

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