Novel series by R. F. Delderfield
A Horseman Riding By is a trilogy of historical novels written by R. F. Delderfield, first published between 1966 and 1968. Set in rural Devon, England, the novels span the years from the late 19th century through World War I, the interwar period, and World War II focusing on the life of Paul Craddock, a young man who becomes the squire of a large estate. The trilogy—Long Summer Day, Post of Honour, and The Green Gauntlet—explores Britain's dramatic social, economic, and political changes during this transformative era while emphasizing community, tradition, and resilience themes.
Plot
Long Summer Day
The first novel is Long Summer Day. The novels are all set in south Devon, where the main character, Paul Craddock, buys an estate after serving with the Imperial Yeomanry in the Boer War. The first novel covers the years of the long "Edwardian afternoon" after the death of Queen Victoria, including the postponement of the coronation of King Edward VII, the Liberal landslide of 1906 and the coronation of King George V. The story follows the trials and tribulations of Craddock and, later, his second wife and their growing family.
Post of Honour
The second novel, Post of Honour, covers 1914 through May 1940, with the Dunkirk evacuation. However, the first chapter catches up with the main characters and events from 1911 to the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. The second novel finishes with the "Miracle of Dunkirk" with Craddock's eldest son Simon (his son from his brief first marriage) returning safely from France.
The Green Gauntlet
The third and final novel, The Green Gauntlet, has two sections. Part one picks up the story of the Craddock family in February 1942 and runs through the rest of the Second World War to the culmination of the D-Day landings. The story then takes us to the war's end just before V.E. Day. Part two begins with the V.E. Day celebrations in May 1945, then follows the Craddock family fortunes through the 1950s and until the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965. Paul Craddock dies shortly afterward.
Adaptation
Radio
A three-part radio adaptation broadcast on the BBC Home Service and BBC Radio 4 in 1967, starring William Lucas, Josephine Tewson and Hilda Schroder.[1]
Television
The first novel and the World War I portion of the second were dramatised in a BBC 13-part television serial produced by Ken Riddington, starring Nigel Havers, Prunella Ransome and Glyn Houston. It was broadcast on Sunday evenings from 24 September 1978. The series was never repeated on any BBC channel but was released on DVD in 2004. The BBC did not adapt the remainder of the series of novels. The BBC has adapted two more of Delderfield's novels into television, To Serve Them All My Days and Diana.[2]
References
External links
