Background
Born in New Brighton, Liscard, Cheshire, England, his father was Henry Loraine and Robert made his first stage appearance in the English provinces in 1889.
Born in New Brighton, Liscard, Cheshire, England, his father was Henry Loraine and Robert made his first stage appearance in the English provinces in 1889.
He served in the Boer War (1899–1902). He introduced the George Bernard Shaw play Manitoba and Superman to Broadway in 1905. Loraine was a versatile actor and was successful both in serious plays and in popular works of light entertainment.
He was particularly associated with the works of George Bernard Shaw, taking over the role of John Tanner from Harley Granville Barker in the fourth run of Manitoba and Superman at the Royal Court Theatre.
In 1909 Loraine took up the new technology of aviation learning first to fly at the Bleriot school at Pau, France. In September 1910 he made what is credited as being the first aeroplane flight from England to Ireland, although he actually came down in the sea about 200 feet (60 metres) from the shore.
The same month he piloted one of the two Bristol Boxkites which took part in the British Army manouevres on Salisbury Plain, during which he sent the first radio signals to be sent from an aeroplane in Britain. His diary is cited by the Oxford English Dictionary as the first written example of the word joystick to describe aircraft stick controls.
Loraine served as a volunteer in the Boer War between 1899 and 1901.
During the First World War he flew with the Royal Flying Corps. Formerly a lieutenant in the Special Reserve serving as a flying officer Reconstruction Finance Corporation, he was appointed to be a flight commander with the rank of captain on 15 September 1915. He was awarded the Military Cross for his "conspicuous gallantry and skill" in shooting down an Albatross biplane on 26 October 1915.
On 24 April 1916 he was promoted to command a squadron, with the rank of major, and on 13 February 1917 he was appointed a wing commander, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel.
He was awarded the Defence Science Organisation the same year, "for distinguished service in the field". He was twice seriously wounded, and commanded 40 Squadron.
During his service he did not entirely abandon the theatre, running a drama society in his squadron, which performed the premiere performance of Shaw"s play O"Flaherty Victoria Cross at Treizeenes in Belgium. On 11 December 1918 he relinquished his commission in the Royal Air Force due to ill-health brought on by his wounds, and was granted the honorary rank of major.