The Loyd Carrier was one of a number of small tracked vehicles used by the British and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

forces in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

to transport equipment and men about the battlefield. Alongside the Bren, Scout and Machine Gun Carriers, they also moved infantry support weapons.

Design and development

The Loyd Carrier was built upon the mechanicals (engine, gearbox and transmission) of a 15 cwt 4x2 Fordson 7V truck with

mild steel Carbon steel is a steel with carbon content from about 0.05 up to 2.1 percent by weight. The definition of carbon steel from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) states: * no minimum content is specified or required for chromium, cobal ...

bodywork to which armour plate - 'BP Plate' (from "Bullet Proof") - was bolted (to the front and upper sides) depending on application. The engine was at the rear of the Carrier with the radiator behind rather than in front. The transmission then took the drive forward to the axle at the very front where it drove the tracks. Both the front drive sprockets and idlers (which were also sprocketed) at the rear of the tracks were fitted with brakes, actuated by a pair of levers by the driver. To turn the vehicle to the left, the brakes were applied on that side and the Carrier would slew round the stopped track. The upper hull covered the front and sides but was open to the rear and above; as the Carrier was not expected to function as a fighting vehicle, this was not an issue. To protect the occupants from the weather, a

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tilt could be put up; this was standard fitment from the factory. PartsBook As part of the rapid development program, the Loyd used parts from other vehicles: From the

Universal Carrier The Universal Carrier, also known as the Bren Gun Carrier and sometimes simply the Bren Carrier from the light machine gun armament, is a common name describing a family of light armoured tracked vehicles built by Vickers-Armstrongs and othe ...

, the track, drive sprockets, and

Horstmann suspension Horstmann suspension, also known as Horstman, Vickers-Horstman and rarely Slow Motion, is a type of tracked suspension devised by British tank designer John Carden and worked into a production design by engineer Sidney Horstmann. First used ...

units; from the Fordson 7V, the chassis, engine, gearbox,

torque tube A torque tube system is a power transmission and braking technology that involves a stationary housing around the drive shaft, often used in automobiles with a front engine and rear drive. The torque tube consists of a large diameter stationary h ...

and front axle. The brake drums and back plates were designed specifically for the Loyd. The Army tested the Loyd Carrier in 1939 and placed an initial order for 200 as the ''Carrier, Tracked, Personnel Carrying'' i.e. a personnel carrier. Initial deliveries were from Vivian Loyd's own company, but production moved to the larger firms, including the

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

and

Wolseley Motors Wolseley Motors Limited was a British motor vehicle manufacturer founded in early 1901 by the Vickers Armaments in conjunction with Herbert Austin. It initially made a full range, topped by large luxury cars, and dominated the market in the E ...

(13,000 between them) and Dennis Brothers Ltd, Aveling & Barford and

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. Total production of the Loyd Carrier was approximately 26,000.

Service

Second World War

Early in the war, the TT along with the TPC variants were part of the standard equipment of

Royal Engineer The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is head ...

Chemical Warfare Companies. Most of the Chemical Warfare Companies were disbanded or repurposed in 1943 in order to free up their 4.2 inch mortars for desperately needed conventional use by infantry divisions in-theatre; the mortars and supporting equipment were attached to each division's machine-gun battalion in company strength. By far the most notable use of the Loyd was in the TT (Tracked Towing) configuration, where it pulled the 6 pounder anti-tank gun from the Normandy landings of 1944 through to the end of the war. There are many wartime photographs of Loyds in action in Normandy, and a number were photographed destroyed in the well-known

battle of Villers-Bocage The Battle of Villers-Bocage took place during the Second World War on 13 June 1944, one week after the Normandy Landings, which had begun the Western Allies' conquest of German-occupied France. The battle was the result of a British attempt to ...

in 1944. The Loyd Carrier was also paired with

Caterpillar D8 The Caterpillar D8 is a medium track-type tractor designed and manufactured by Caterpillar. Though it comes in many configurations, it is usually sold as a bulldozer equipped with a detachable large blade and a rear ripper attachment. History ...

tractors in service with

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is a corps of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's Professional Engineers". History Prior to REME's for ...

for tank recovery - the Carrier carrying spare equipment for the tractor.

Post-war

Both

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

bought Loyd TTs from the British Army; they were still in Belgian Army ownership up to at least 1963 as engine rebuild plates have been seen with this date in original Belgian vehicles. A Belgian variant was the CATI 90 (''Canon antitank d'infanterie automoteur 90mm''), a self-propelled gun in use from 1954 to 1962. The vehicle served in infantry units with a paired ammunition carrier. Some vehicles were sold on into private ownership for farming use (a 1941 No1Mk1 TPC with a ploughing conversion still exists in Nottinghamshire, UK) and a number were placed as targets on Belgian ranges.

Variants

Loyd carriers were available in three "numbers", which were available in two "marks"; all manufactured during wartime, and varied in the type/sourcing of the Ford V8 sidevalve engine they were powered by: * No. 1 - British Ford V8 engine (21 stud) and gearbox * No. 2 - US Ford V8 engine (24 stud) and gearbox * No. 3 - Ford Canada V8 engine (24 stud) and gearbox The two marks were: * Mark I - Bendix brake system * Mark II - Girling brake system

Roles

There were not many differences between variants, mainly seating and armour plate location: ;Tracked Personnel Carrier (TPC) :Equipped with a front bench seat and seating for troops on the track guards. Frontal and full side armour fitted. ;Tracked Towing (TT) - Initially known as 'Tractor Anti-tank, MkI' :Equipped with four single seats and ammunition stowage on the track guards. Used for towing the 4.2 inch mortar and hauling the QF 2 pounder and

QF 6 pounder 6-pounder gun or 6-pdr, usually denotes a gun firing a projectile weighing approximately . Guns of this type include: *QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss, a 57 mm naval gun of the 1880s; a similar weapon was designed by Driggs-Schroeder for the US Navy ...

anti-tank guns and carrying its crew. Frontal and front quarter armour fitted. The main variant by number manufactured. ;Tracked Cable Layer Mechanical (TCLM) :A vehicle for

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield commun ...

work. No armour fitted. ;Tracked Starting and Charging (TS&C) :Equipped with a front bench seat, 30 volt and 12 volt DC generators driven from the gearbox

layshaft A layshaft is an intermediate shaft within a gearbox that carries gears, but does not transfer the primary drive of the gearbox either in or out of the gearbox. Layshafts are best known through their use in car gearboxes, where they were a ubiquit ...

and battery sets to support armoured regiment tanks. No armour fitted.

Notes

References

* * *

External links

Mapleafup.net

{{WWIIBritishAFVs World War II armoured fighting vehicles of the United Kingdom World War II armoured fighting vehicles of Canada Tracked military vehicles Military vehicles introduced in the 1930s