Carden-Loyd
Carden Loyd Tractors Ltd, of Chertsey
Early 1920s John V. Carden joined Vivian Graham Loyd in the management of a large London garage, and established with him the firm Carden Loyd Tractors in Chertsey, working on light, tracked vehicles for military use. Carden was reportedly described as an "introvert engineering genius", while Loyd was conversely described as an "extrovert engineer-salesman".
1925 The first Carden-Loyd One-Man Tankette was designed.
1925-7 The company developed the design into Marks I, II and III, and later, two-man tankette models Mark IV and Mark V. All were built in small numbers but were very promising, and, as a result, Carden-Loyd was bought by Vickers-Armstrongs in March 1928.
Carden himself was employed by Vickers as the technical director. The pair continued developing their tankette model, eventually creating their best-known design, the Mark VI. It became the first successful design for that vehicle type in the world; several hundred were produced and exported to 16 countries. Many foreign tankette models developed later were said to be inspired by the Mark VI.
Carden and Loyd also designed light tanks, such as the well-known Vickers-Armstrongs Commercial Light Tanks series (used, for example, in Belgium) and the British Army's Light Tanks, including Light Tank Mk VI (one of Carden's last designs).
The pair also developed the world's first amphibious tank, the Vickers-Carden-Loyd Amphibian Tank, and played a role in the development of the Vickers E tank model.
Aside from tanks, Carden and Loyd also developed several light artillery tractors and carriers, including the VA D50 model, which was a prototype of the Bren Carrier.
Manufacturer: Vickers-Armstrongs
Engine: Ford 'T' 4-cylinder 2.9-litre 40-hp
Service: 1928-41
See Also
Sources of Information
- WIkipedia
- Biography of John Carden, ODNB