Great stuff! I know I say more here than what would ever be needed in your thesis intro., but I understand the need for accuracy in that abstract you present above.
I think Rotoscythe should be revised to the patent application date, to be consistent with the USA patents - 1932.
The inventor of the Rotoscythe was David Hamilton Cockburn, an engineer who had already had patents granted to him. He applied for the "Rotoscythe" patent on February 29, 1932 and patent GB 385,473 was granted on December 29, 1932.
I attach an extract from the Cape Vintage Engine and Machinery Society. What it shows, again, is that the Rotoscythe was something else. Their power sources were electric, gasoline and . . . hydraulics. [the article extract is used with permission]
The issue of Cyril Thomas. This needs revision I think. Tecnico released the 10" electric in mid to late 1948. One memorable ad, was a colour full page in the AUS Women's Weekly.
Ty, you say: At this point, lightweight electric rotary mowers were popular, and fairly common in Australia, but were manufactured overseas,
I don't think that is correct at all. The first electric rotary mower to be sold in Australia was the AUS Tecnico. [they were'nt imported except for the British Ladybird which came later]. Tecnico referred to themselves as the 'pioneers' of rotaries in AUS.
Electric mowers were not so common till this event. Electric reel mowers were manufactured here (Scott Bonnar) and imported from the 1920s.
But electric rotary manufacturers sprung up immediately post the Tecnico introduction of them. Reason: Many electrical manufacturers were looking at ways to harness excess production capability after WWII. Emerging post-war prosperity directed these companies to appliance manufacture - vacuum cleaners, floor polishers, transistor radios, white goods and mowers. I read - somewhere - that the Tecnico mower was assembled on the same production line as their floor polishers!
The point I make is that makes Like Tecnico, Mercury, Tasma, TAD, Breville, Grasshopper, and the imported Ladybird all entered the market between 1948 and 1952. Many tapped in to an existing appliance/electrical store network. Electric mowers were sold all across Australia - even Kalgoolie!
How popular were they? I know from the quantity of advertisements placed that the output would have been enormous. Tecnico, alone,in 1954 said it had sold over 100,000 units! I have evidence of people complaining of the noise of electric mowers on Saturday mornings! And all this prior to the seminal date of September, 1952.
I hope this helps in your thesis.
All very interesting. ---------------------------------------- JACK
