, ▁with ▁R FC ▁s / n ▁ 1 6 0 9 ▁that ▁Haw ker , ▁with ▁assistance ▁from ▁Air ▁Mechan ic ▁Ernest ▁El ton ▁( who ▁later ▁became ▁an ▁A ce ▁Pil ot ▁himself ), ▁equ ipped ▁with ▁their ▁design ▁of ▁Lewis ▁gun ▁mount , ▁en abling ▁the ▁machine ▁gun ▁to ▁fire ▁forward ▁ob liqu ely ▁at ▁an ▁ac ute ▁horizontal ▁angle ▁to ▁the ▁axis ▁of ▁flight , ▁missing ▁the ▁prop eller ▁arc . ▁ ▁While ▁with ▁No ▁ 6 ▁squad ron ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 5 , ▁Captain ▁Haw ker ▁was ▁a ▁com rade ▁of ▁Captain ▁Louis ▁Str ange . ▁The ▁Squadron ▁became ▁pione ers ▁of ▁many ▁aspects ▁in ▁military ▁av iation ▁at ▁the ▁time , ▁driven ▁largely ▁by ▁the ▁imagination ▁of ▁Str ange ▁and ▁the ▁engineering ▁tal ents ▁of ▁Haw ker . ▁Their ▁tal ents ▁led ▁to ▁various ▁mount ings ▁for ▁Lewis ▁machine ▁guns , ▁one ▁of ▁which ▁won ▁Haw ker ▁the ▁Victoria ▁Cross , ▁and ▁one ▁that ▁nearly ▁cost ▁Str ange ▁his ▁life . ▁ ▁Haw ker ' s ▁innov ative ▁ideas ▁at ▁this ▁time ▁greatly ▁benef ited ▁the ▁fled g ling ▁R FC . ▁He ▁helped ▁to ▁invent ▁the ▁P ride aux ▁dis integr ating ▁link ▁machine - gun ▁bel t ▁feed , ▁and ▁initi ated ▁the ▁practice ▁of ▁putting ▁fabric ▁protect ive ▁cover ings ▁on ▁the ▁tips ▁of ▁wooden ▁prop ellers , ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁fur - lined ▁th igh ▁bo ots , ▁and ▁de vis ing ▁a ▁primitive ▁' rock ing ▁fus el age '