"Defenders of the Flag" A tribute to the military veterans of Hudson, Quebec, Canada through four centuries of warfare, 8.5" x 11", 286pp, ISBN # is 141203946-0. CDN$30.00 Available from the author at: Roderick Hodgson, P.O.Box 26, Hudson, Quebec, J0P 1H0. Tel: 450-458-6603 OR  Acorn Bookstore, 484 Main Road Hudson Quebec, J0P 1H0, Tel: 450-458-3070 Money Order or Checks only please. "Defenders of the Flag" is a tribute to the military veterans of the small town of Hudson, Quebec. It covers four centuries of warfare; the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. It spans 260 years, roughly 1740-2003. A large portion of the book covers the veterans of World War II. This chapter alone has over one hundred photos.  Photos, drawings and sketches are liberally distributed throughout the 285 page book.  All the photos in the book have captions identifying those involved. Each different chapter covers a different military engagement. Wars covered are: The French Regime including the Seven Years War (1756-1763), The War of 1812, The Napoleonic Wars, The Rebellion of 1837, The Fenian Raids, The Boer War, The Relief of Khartoum, World Wars I & II, The Korean War, The Vietnam War, Bosnia, The Gulf War and The War in Iraq. The final chapter covers the Peacetime service of the Hudson veterans including the "Cold War". Irreplaceable family photos have been used dating back to the mid-1860's as well as modern photos from the author's recent visits to the battlefields of Europe. One of the main attributes of this book is the lists of veterans placed at the beginning of each chapter. These range from just one or two in a couple of the early chapters to the hundreds listed in the chapter on World War II. Extensive research has gone into producing this book, possibly a first - the history of one small Canadian municipality and the men and women who fought for their country and defended their flag. Roderick L. Hodgson is a native of Hudson, Quebec and can trace his local ancestors back to 1825 when George Hodgson emigrated from Westmoreland County in England.  Roderick is the author of four books on local Hudson history: Historic Hudson Parts II & III, T.B. Macaulay and Mount Victoria Farm and Historic Building of Hudson and Area 1792-1913. He also edited another book on Hudson history in the late 1990's. In 1998 he finished an historical/fiction novel but has yet to have it published. It traces the arrival of his family from England in 1825 and the settlement of Hudson in the early 1800's and the settlers involvement in the Rebellion of 1837. Roderick is a graduate of Hudson High School and the University of Guelph. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Guelph in Urban Geography and History.  A former President of the Hudson Historical Society, Roderick has been interested in history  since he was in Grade 5 at Hudson High School. Of particular interest to him is military history, especially that of Great Britain. He is a buff of the Napoleonic Wars, mainly those in the Peninsular Campaign, Lord Nelson and the Royal Navy, and the Zulu War of 1879. Though not a veteran himself, he can trace numerous ancestors and relations to their active rolls in the British, Canadian and American armed forces. Roderick Hodgson is currently a member of Hudson Legion Branch #115 in Hudson. He is 52 years old and is married and lives in Rigaud, Quebec - a small town just west of Hudson. He has been employed by the Town of Hudson Public Works Department since 1982 and is a retired Fire Captain with the Hudson Fire Department with 25 years of service.   ABOUT THE AUTHOR Roderick L. Hodgson is a native of Hudson, Quebec. He is descended from the early settlers of the area who arrived in the 1820's from England. He is the author of four books on the history of Hudson and is a past President of the Hudson Historical Society. A graduate of the University of Guelph with a B.A. in Urban Geography, he is currently employed by the Town of Hudson Public Works Department. Roderick is a retired veteran of the Hudson and Rigaud Fire Departments with twenty-six years of service. He currently lives in Rigaud, Quebec with his wife Linda.