Dulcie May Frame

My aunt and godmother, Dulcie May Frame, was the eldest daughter born to Edward John Frame and Catherine Falvey. She was born in Weston on 22 Jun 1920 and baptised at Abermain Catholic Church on 11 Jul 1920. Her sponsors were Elizabeth Jennings and John Falvey.  This photo of Dulcie (above) is showing  the engagement ring that she had received in the mail from her husband-to-be Les Fleet when he was posted overseas during World War II.

Initially, Dulcie was a very frail child, frequently suffering illnesses including scarlet fever. She attended school at Weston Public School and Abermain Catholic School. Being able to keep Dulcie at school was quite another matter! She disliked school immensely and would frequently run away and return to her home. Dulcie was a good runner; even her father and brothers couldn't catch her! 

After completing her schooling, Dulcie remained at home to help her mother. Obviously, she was always going to be a ‘homebody’ because even when a job was arranged for her in Sydney, Dulcie wouldn't stay; she returned home on the train with her mother Catherine. 

Dulcie remained at home with her family until the outbreak of World War II. She then joined up with some girls from East Greta and Maitland and they began work at a munitions factory at St Mary's in Sydney. The girls stayed in a hostel run by the YWCA. They were housed two to a room and provided with good meals. The factory was kilometres from the hostel, so the girls were transported to work by truck. Dulcie worked shift work: morning, afternoon and night shifts. Because they were working with highly explosive materials, the bays in which the women worked were temperature controlled. Dulcie recalled that they couldn't wear bobby pins in their hair or any jewellery, although married women were not forced to remove their wedding rings. Even their shoes were all hand sewn and had no metal components whatsoever. The workers could not wear anything that might cause friction and set off an explosion. Dulcie is in her uniform in the photograph below.

When Dulcie arrived at the factory, she and the others would have to proceed to the ‘clean area’ where they would change out of their clothes and into a uniform before passing over into what was called the ‘dirty area’ where all the powder and paints were stored. Dulcie's first job at the factory entailed her working on 25lb. (11.3 kg) Army shells and then she moved on to 35lb. (15.8kg) Navy shells. The Navy shells were not charged at the factory - this occurred after the shells were loaded on board ship. Very stringent inspections were carried out because even a small amount of rust could cause an explosion which would have been disastrous on a ship at sea. A unit of soldiers were camped nearby and they would arrive at the factory, collect some of the ammunition in trucks and take it away for testing.  Eventually Dulcie moved on to making 33mm Spitfire shells because of the huge demand once the Spitfire aircraft were brought into the war. It was a very hazardous job and personnel had to be extremely safety conscious. If a detonator dropped onto the floor they would have to ‘freeze’ until it was retrieved and they were cleared to move around again. Dulcie said the factory was huge, covering seventeen and a half square miles (44 sq. kms), with a railway station inside. It was located in an isolated area of bushland.  Dulcie worked with TNT powder and what was called CE powder, which would turn a person yellow. They were only permitted to work with CE powder for a limited time and would then have to submit to a doctor’s examination as a health precaution. There were magazines on the factory site for the storage of live ammunition, although personnel were not permitted to go to them alone; they had to go in groups of three. Dulcie met her future husband, Francis Leslie ‘Les’ Fleet, when she was making her debut, although he was partnering someone else on that occasion. Les was born in East Greta on 23 May 1918 and was the son of Francis Joseph Fleet and Anastasia Byrne. Dulcie and Les both attended the ‘old time’ dances which were held regularly in Kurri Kurri and consequently their relationship developed from there. When war broke out Les joined the Army. He knew he was to be posted oversees and was disappointed that he was unable to buy Dulcie an engagement ring locally before he left. Undeterred by this setback, Les purchased a ring in Western Australia and mailed it back to her! When postman Des White handed the very excited Dulcie the package he said, ‘Well, aren’t you going to open it and let me have a look at it?’ Dulcie had a special photograph taken of her wearing the engagement ring so that she could mail it to Les.

Les remained in the service for the duration of the war, reaching the rank of Lance Corporal. He was posted to Borneo where he worked in a Casualty Clearing Station (C.C.S.) with the injured and those suffering from war neurosis. (Apparently it was similar to that depicted in the television series MASH.) Les was a quiet, calm and gentle man but he certainly experienced some hair-raising times during his tour of duty.

Later on when he was granted three weeks leave, Les returned home and he and Dulcie decided to marry. They had to seek special permission from the Bishop because there was insufficient time for the wedding banns to be announced. Les phoned fifteen boarding houses at Katoomba before he could make a reservation for their honeymoon!

Because of the war effort, everything was in short supply and therefore rationed. People had to use coupons to buy everyday commodities such as food and clothing. Dulcie could not just go out to buy a wedding dress as she didn't have the required coupons, so she wore a suit that was made for her by local dressmaker,  Jean Coburn. The neighbours contributed small amounts of butter and sugar and other precious ingredients from their rations so that Dulcie could have a wedding cake. Sister-in-law Iris Frame, wife of Dulcie’s brother Mick, baked the cake which was then iced by her neighbour and friend, Vera Kidd, who was learning the art of cake decorating.

 Dulcie and Les Fleet spent their honeymoon in Katoomba and Dulcie recalled how she nearly froze up in the mountains. She’d had no idea how cold it would be and was grateful that Les had taken along his Army greatcoat which provided extra warmth.

She always loved Katoomba after that holiday. It became ‘her place’ and she returned there many times in later years.  Les returned overseas after his leave was up and Dulcie returned to the munitions factory. She continued to travel the arduous four hour train trip home to Weston most weekends, help her mother with the household chores, and then catch the train back to Sydney. After the war ended, Dulcie was one of the last remaining people to be discharged from the munitions factory. 

Dulcie and Les eventually settled into their home at 33 Weston Street Weston and had two children: their daughter Catherine and son Michael. Sadly, Michael was born prematurely in 1952 and did not survive. 

Les returned to his former job at the BHP in Newcastle. He later found work much closer to home at the Abermain No.1 Colliery, remaining there until the mine closed.  Les told Dulcie that he really enjoyed his time at Abermain No.1 because of the great friendships and camaraderie he developed with his work mates.   After the closure of Abermain No.1, and because of the vast experience he had acquired with the C.C.S. in Borneo, Les was offered the position of wardsman at Kurri Kurri District Hospital. He accepted the offer and remained on the hospital’s staff until he retired. 

For as long as I can remember, all of our Frame family including Dulcie's siblings, nieces and nephews, frequently called in to visit Dulcie, Les and their daughter Cathy. Family gatherings were often held at their home and we all appreciated that Dulcie was an amazing cook!  

Following the death of her father Edward 'Bluey' Frame in October 1968, Dulcie took care of her elderly mother Catherine who moved in to live with her and Les. With support from her brothers and sister Dawn, Dulcie cared for her mother until Catherine passed away 10 May 1980 aged 91.

With some spare time available following the death of her mother, Dulcie became actively involved with the St Vincent de Paul Society in Cessnock and contributed more than twenty years volunteer service to that organisation.

Dulcie’s husband, Francis Leslie ‘Les’ Fleet died 12 Sep 1988 in Kurri Kurri Hospital after a courageous battle with the ravages of Parkinson’s disease. He was 70 years old. Les never complained about his affliction. As always, he soldiered on with his typical quiet dignity and strength right to the end.

After Les died, Dulcie, continued to reside in her home in Weston Street, Weston, enjoying the love and companionship of her close-knit family, neighbours and friends. However, in her later years, it was necessary for her to move into a care facility within the Kurri Kurri Hospital precinct.

Dulcie May Frame Fleet passed away 15 Jan 2016, aged 95 years.