Whenever Elaine Fox passes the graves of family and friends at Chapel of Ease in St David’s she always says hello. Last week when she walked by the graves on her way to church she told the old folks “It’s done!”

‘It’ referred to the book she has been writing, off and on, for over 40 years. This week she finally releases The Community of Southside, St David’s: Before, During and After WWII.

“It was very emotional when I finally held it in my hands,” the 79-year-old said. She joked that she began researching it at age 5.

When she was growing up, the adults would often tell stories about Southside before it was a military base.

“Children were seen and not heard,” she said. “So I listened, and was intrigued.”

Generations of both sides of her family were from Southside, but had to move when it became an American military base in 1941.

She grew up down the road, on the wrong side of the fence, only getting to see her ancestor’s land when she was invited onto the base by a friend, or during a base open house picnic.

Ms Fox got to know many of her St David’s neighbours thanks to one of her grandmother’s fundraising projects.

One Saturday morning Ms Fox’s mother woke her up to say she would be spending the day selling charity tags for her grandmother.

“I was about 7,” she remembered. “I cried. I was so shy and I did not want to do it.”

Ignoring her tears, her grandmother hung a shoebox around her neck and sent her off with strict instructions on who to visit.

There would be no skipping anyone, either, because her grandmother would check that she had been to every house.

Ms Fox quickly found a silver lining to the tagging. Her grandparents, Francis and Charles “Warbaby” Fox, were so respected in the community, everyone welcomed her into their homes.

“Nobody shooed me away,” she said. “The ladies would say come inside, sweetheart. Have a piece of candy. Another person would offer me fudge. I would come back with enough sweets to last about a week. It was not as bad as it seemed.”

She did that for several years, and in the process, got to know many of the older people in the community.

One of the people in her book is her great-great-uncle, Henry Mortimer “Tommy” Fox, for whom Tommy Fox Road in St David’s is named.

He was hailed as a hero for giving up the largest amount of land at Southside for the building of the base, but died of a broken heart, a short time after moving.

Another person she wrote about was her paternal grandfather Charles “Warbaby” Fox.

Mr Fox was a skilled pilot in his younger days, a cricketer, an entrepreneur and elder at the Chapel of Ease in St David’s. Today, there is a fast ferry named in his honour.

Ms Fox was close to him growing up, calling him ‘Pardy’.

“He was a very charismatic man,” she said. “His property, and most of the Fox’s property was on Fox’s Hill which no longer exists. Where the St David’s Variety store is today on St David’s Road, all that area going back would have been Fox’s Hill. It was levelled.”

One of her earliest memories is of her grandfather taking her to horse races held at the Shelly Bay Race Track in Hamilton Parish.

“There was a policeman,” she said. “I think he was Pc Amos. My grandfather must have been a good friend of his. My grandfather gave me a rock and told me to throw it at him to get his attention. I did what I was told, but was quivering when he turned around. I thought I was going to get thrown in jail. I was only little.”

When male grandchildren came along, Mr Fox became heavily involved with setting up cricket teams and games among the boys in St David’s, with many of them going on to play for Cup Match.

“He was generous and helpful to most people,” Ms Fox said. “I cannot remember him being in an argument with anyone.”

In 1948, Mr Fox became one of the first people in Bermuda to get a taxi licence.

He started the St David’s Taxi Service, run out of Ms Fox’s home. Her mother Marvel Griffiths Fox, was the taxi dispatcher. There was no fancy equipment involved, just a telephone.

“My grandfather started with three taxis and then added a fourth,” she said.

Many of their customers were servicemen working on the Kindley Air Force Base.

He also ran the Blackhorse Bar and operated the Blue Marlin Nightclub, next door to the bar.

“It was a very swanky nightclub in the Forties and Fifties,” Ms Fox said. “Bermuda was segregated so the community of colour wore their gowns and ties. My grandmother imported bone china, and they had the best of service.”

She was unsure how her grandfather got the nickname Warbaby. One theory is that it stemmed from his early days as a pilot.

“It was an emotional day when I finally held a copy of the book in my hands,” she said.

As the family historian, Ms Fox can trace her genealogy back for generations.

Last month, she and distant cousin, Ronnie Chameau, held a gathering at the Carter House Museum in St David’s for people interested in Fox family history. More than 100 people attended.

Her family tree is still on display there, along with an album of Fox family members compiled by Ms Chameau.

She plans to launch her book on Thursday evening at the Bermuda National Library on Queen Street in Hamilton from 6pm to 7.30pm.

• To purchase a copy of the book, e-mail almarvpublishing@gmail.com