The Blackett's Aerophor, from the Greek, meaning air-carrier, was a form of breathing apparatus, introduced in the Durham area in 1910 by Col. William Cuthbert Blackett (1859-1935).
The breathing bag, worn on the chest, was made of rubber enclosed in a strong leather case. It was connected to a backpack containing liquid nitrox with a minimum oxygen content of 50 per cent and a canister of potash or soda. It was used until the 1950s, mainly in mine rescue.
Colonel Blackett, a former commanding officer of 8th Bn., The Durham Light Infantry, was a President of the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers, and was responsible for a number of developments in mining equipment, including the Blackett coal-face conveyor, patented in 1902.
In 1903 he rescued Robert Richardson who had been trapped for 91 hours at Sacriston Colliery, Co. Durham.