[Techman]

A Bush radio plug is quite a bit smaller than the two pin plug in question.

Seeing your post I've just been checking out the plugs I've got to hand and I've found that the vintage kettle plugs with side earth contacts are actually too fat to fit the socket on the cleaner. I tried it the other way round to see if the cleaner plug would actually fit the kettles and found that although it would, it was very tight as though either the pins are a very slightly different spacing or are slightly larger in diameter. I decided not to try to push it all the way home as I didn't want to break either it, or the kettle pins, or cause it to then be a bad fit on the cleaner. One of those old kettles is actually rated for 200 volt mains. I got the AVO on the socket surround and checked for continuity on various metal parts all around the outside of the cleaner and there was excellent continuity, including the metal name plate on the top of the casing. There is a plug with side earth contacts that fits, as I've seen at least a couple on YouTube videos featuring this model cleaner. It looks like it's made of black or brown Bakelite type material with a white, possibly ceramic or porcelain centre piece that actually goes into the socket with the earth on the side, possibly both sides of it. I'm not too bothered about it not having an earth, just that if I happened to have an earthed type plug to hand then I might have used it - these old cleaners aren't particularly known for shorts to earth, being what you might call an early form of double insulated design. After all, when in use you're insulated by the hose and when you move it you either pull it along via the hose or pick it up by the insulated handle, the danger would mainly be when you went to switch it off and touched the metal surround. It's not intended for general use anyway, just an occasional air blower, although there's a bit of a temptation to vacuum the carpets with it just for the hell of it, but that would muck up the washed bag and filter.

I don't know if it's just because I'm noticing them more because I've been looking for information on them on-line, but there seems to be quite a lot of survivors of this model still around out there. This may mean that this early model was a lot stronger motor wise than its successors. Certainly I seemed to hear of quite a lot of motor burn outs of various later models over the years. The early 1950s model that my mother had, burned out when I was a child sometime in the mid 60s, and the one she replaced it with I remember eventually going the same way, although she never replaced something because a newer product was available, so would have bought new and given it continuous use until it eventually wore out or broke and couldn't be repaired, it would then be replaced with whatever the current model was at that time. Some of the still working survivors could exist because they were taken out of service when a newer model became available and not because they were broken, they may then have just been kept as a spare due to having little resale value at that time, perhaps being put into a loft, garage or shed.

By the mains voltage rating and what's on the 'by appointment' plate on the box mentioning both the King and Prince of Wales, I date this cleaner to around 1934-35, so an early version, if anyone thinks different, then please speak up.

Below are pictures showing two kettle connectors with the cleaner connector in the middle. Also shown is the cleaner connector opened up - you can see the remains of that red rubber that I mentioned (there was more of it, but I've chucked it) and I need to work out exactly how that cord grip/separator that looks like someones tooth (perhaps it is?) is supposed to work and fit.