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 and spans 260 years, roughly 1740-2003. Rare photos, drawings and sketches are liberally distributed throughout the 291 page book.

Each different chapter covers a different military engagement complete with listings of veterans: 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".

The author, Roderick L. Hodgson is a native of Hudson, Quebec and you can contact him at: rhodgson@securenet.net. You can buy the book directly from the author or at the local bookstore.

The story of two of Hudson's most famous citizens - T.B. Macaulay and his Holstein bull Joanna Ragapple Pabst ("Old Joe") - can now be found on the Virtual Museum of Canada's Community Memories site. Macaulay (1860-1942), president of the Sun Life Assurance Company for many years, also owned Mount Victoria Farms in Hudson Heights. Mount Victoria Farms contributed to the improvement of crops such as corn and soybeans, but is best known for its herd of Holstein cows that produced impressive quantities of butterfat-rich milk. Old Joe's descendents can be found in herds around the world.

Hudson Historical Society Archivist W. Lambert "Scot" Gardiner, ably assisted by computer consultants Wendy Cohen and Trish Santa, devoted literally hundreds of hours putting T.B. Macaulay and Mount Victoria Farms online. Their work can be found at www.virtualmuseum.ca

Click on "Community Memories" and then type in "T.B. Macaulay" in the search engine. While in the Virtual Museum be sure to check out another Hudson project, That was Phoebe: A Community Remembers its Past, the story of Phoebe Hyde and Greenwood. These are but two of the 77 fascinating stories contributed thus far by heritage organizations around the country. Canada's Virtual Museum is well worth a visit!