Roderick John Raye Trooper 13th Lighthorse

 in Phoebe Raye / Roderick Raye / War by

Forty Thousand Horsemen (1940)

In 1940, Charles Chauvel filmed 500 active Light Horse members to recreate the October 1917 cavalry charge that captured Beersheba.

Roderick Raye is arguably the key character in A Distant Prospect, and to quite a few readers, the most beloved.

Devils Own Regiment 13th Australian Light Horse

13th Australian Light Horse styled itself
the “Devil’s Own”, suiting Roderick Raye’s black humour.
(Credit: Australian Militaria Sales)

Having established himself as a violinist in the Viennese music scene before the outbreak of the Great War, Phoebe Raye’s father had returned to Ballarat and subsequently enlisted in the 13th Australian Lighthorse. But he suffered a grave injury at Ypres on the Western Front, and further tragic loss soon after his repatriation.

Lucy finds Phoebe a complex and conflicted character, combining virtuosic and passionate piano and violin skills with an inscrutable sadness and mistrust.

We do not learn Phoebe’s darkest secret until the story shifts into high gear, after the quartet’s first outing.

How the other girls rescue Phoebe, physically and emotionally, the role played by Mrs Epstein and her Viennese husband, and the magnificent unfolding of her father’s story, all make for a powerful tale of forgiveness and trust.

Roderick Raye’s biting wit is jarring, but his love for his daughter Phoebe ultimately illuminates the entire story.

It is unsurprising that Annette’s readers love Roderick, because she does, too! And yes, he will reappear in the sequel!

A Distant Prospect would be a valuable inclusion for high school reading lists.

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