Elaine S. Fox’s The Community of Southside Before, During and After WWII is a thoroughly researched and profoundly moving account of a lesser-known but culturally significant chapter in Bermuda’s history. With an historian’s rigour and a storyteller’s compassion, Fox reconstructs the lives, losses and legacies of the people of Southside, a community forever altered by the geopolitical demands of the Second World War.
At the heart of this book lies a quiet tragedy: the displacement of the Southside community in St. David’s to make way for the US military base created under the 1941 Destroyers for Bases Agreement. Fox draws from oral histories, government records, family archives and personal interviews to illuminate the daily rhythms of life in Southside prior to its upheaval—fishing, farming, family gatherings and the subtle but deeply held traditions that made it a close-knit, self-sufficient community.
The strength of Fox’s work lies in its human dimension. Rather than solely chronicling events, she foregrounds the voices of those who lived through them. We meet the elders who remember losing not just land, but a way of life; young adults who found opportunity or heartbreak in wartime service; and children who saw their playgrounds transformed into military installations. These first-hand accounts are not only evocative but essential, as they challenge sanitised narratives of development and “progress” by revealing their cost to ordinary Bermudians. What sets this book apart from other local histories is its tone of respectful but unapologetic truth-telling. Fox does not shy away from acknowledging the pain and injustice endured by the Southside residents, many of whom were given little compensation for their land or choice in the matter, yet she avoids sentimentality, maintaining a clear-eyed balance between personal memory and historical analysis.
The post-war sections of the book are equally compelling. Fox documents the gradual decline of the base and the government’s piecemeal efforts to reintegrate the community, raising questions about legacy, memory and accountability. Her reflections on present-day St. David’s show a community still grappling with the aftermath of displacement, but also forging new paths rooted in resilience and pride.
The Community of Southside Before, During and After WWII is essential reading for anyone interested in Bermuda’s social history. It offers a vital corrective to official narratives and ensures that the voices of those most affected are heard, honoured and remembered. With this work, Fox has made a lasting contribution to Bermudian historiography and to the collective memory of a community whose story deserves to be told.
The Community of Southside Before, During and After WWII by Elaine S. Fox is available for purchase from the Bermuda Bookstore, The Bookmart at Brown & Co, Carter House, Robertson’s Drug Store, and on Amazon.com.
