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What I would like to know is; were BS type sockets ever used in Australia/NZ ? And where did our 3-flat-radial-pin plugs come from ?
Round BS sockets were used in the early days along with US two pin sockets but would have been well and truly gone by the 30's. I do see 2 pin BS porcelain sockets occasionally in 2nd hand building material centres in very old areas. The 2 pin US fittings turn up all the time and as I mentioned elsewhere I had an ancient powerboard fitted with them.
I have never actually seen a US or UK socket in a house as part of fixed wiring.
The 3 pin plug we use now is an old US standard. The whole story is in this thread https://www.electrical-contractor.net/ubb/Forum9/HTML/000835.html
There was mention in "Radio & Hobbies" in the 40's or 50's in their "The serviceman who tells" column about setting up a radio workshop. It said that you need to provide a bayonet socket, a US socket and a round pin UK socket on your workbench because although those fittings were not approved there were still some people using them. So, yes they have been used here. I have seen one or two old radios (Australian made 1930's) fitted with 2 pin US plugs which did have the pins twisted to fit the present socket design.
Unfortunately I doubt you'd ever see a UK/US socket in an old house now. Over the last 20 years with the renovation boom in the inner city areas and demolishing of old houses for ugly new blocks of flats all that stuff has long gone, and rural areas didn't get reticulated power often until the 1950's. But I do remember a lot of original wiring was in use into the early 1980's...we even had incandescent street lamps still going in the older areas then. It used to be always fascinating going into town into the old shops and department stores and seeing all that stuff being used...all TPS, plastic fittings, and halogen downlights now [Linked Image]

[This message has been edited by aussie240 (edited 01-28-2006).]