Another Lincolnshire project is this super rare, wartime tracked carrier restored by Alastair McMurray of Lincoln This Loyd Carrier was designed by the Vivian Loyd company in 1939 and approved for production in 1940. It is an open topped, fully tracked utility, tank support and anti-tank gun towing vehicle, built in a number of different versions for these roles. The restoration is of a Ford-built towing version, recovered from an army firing range as a wreck. And what a wreck! The Loyd is a prime example of the British rush to build vehicles, any vehicles, in the dark days of1940. Loyds were issued to all military divisions for D-Day, and served through to VE Day across northwest Europe. This particular Loyd was sold to the Belgian Army post-war to help it re-arm. But as time went by, it ended up as a target on a firing range. Only one partly complete Loyd survives in a UK National Museum today. Having stripped the wreck down in 2010, Alistair began the task of locating from around the world, replacements for missing or damaged parts - the tracks for instance came from New Zealand. Firstly the rolling chassis was completed and then a new hull was drawn up from surviving sections. Alistair has compiled over 100 drawings for missing parts and these have been given freely to people around the world who are attempting other Loyd restorations. In 2023 it was driven for the first time. Like many modern restorations, progress has a strong social media following. The final step in the project is to have a canvas hood manufactured. Alastair found an original new stock hood in a private museum which he has been lucky enough to borrow in order for it to be copied and thus complete the project. The Loyd is a very rare survivor which all those taking part in the D-Day invasion through to VE-Day would have been familiar with. It represents the 1940s spirit to make do and mend and received input from so many now defunct British engineering firms. As such it is a fine recipient of a restoration award.
