This vacuum cleaner, made by the British Vacuum Cleaner Company, was used to clean the workshops at the Royal Australian Navy Armament Depot in Newington, Sydney. The first ‘Black Powder’ and ‘Explosives Room’ hand operated bellows vacuum cleaner was patented by engineer H. Cecil Booth in 1901. This revolutionary machine from which the present whole world industry has sprung is extremely rare and is one of only two known to still exist. The original design was used to suck up gunpowder, as it had no motor to spark. Explosive manufacturers and black powder users kept this simple vacuum for many years, as it was considerably safer than the more modern vacuum cleaners for this purpose. Collection: Sydney Olympic Park Authority – Courtesy of the Royal Australian Navy Heritage Collection held at Newington Armory.
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