It was derived as a follow on from the Nuffield's A15 Crusader tank as it was expected to enter production in 1942.
A parallel effort under Leyland Motors and Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company to the same specification resulted in the A27 Cromwell and Centaur tanks which was accepted for service in preference to the Cavalier.
A specification was drawn up by the Directorate of Tanks and Transport which included the 57 mm QF 6 pounder gun.
Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company (BRC&W) also submitted a design based on the Crusader.
[1] The Nuffield design used an uprated -410 hp (310 kW)- Liberty engine which was expected to give a top speed of 24 mph (39 km/h).
[2][page needed] Working with Rolls-Royce and Leyland, BRC&W were able to produce a prototype of their version of the Cromwell design using the Meteor.
[2][page needed] Cavalier was judged unsatisfactory and the Nuffield order was reduced to 500 tanks.
Mechanically, the Cavalier was similar to the preceding Crusader tank, using Wilson steering and the Liberty engine.
At least 12 Cavaliers were provided to France in 1945, and were operated by the 12th Dragoon Regiment of the French 14th Infantry Division.