In 1745, Lloyd accompanied the
French army on an invasion of the
Austrian Netherlands (part of the
War of the Austrian Succession which lasted from 1740 to 1748). He was commissioned into the French engineer corps after his sketches at the
battle of Fontenoy came to the attention of the French commanding engineer. With the rank of
captain, Lloyd then accompanied the 1745–46
Jacobite expedition in support of the
Young Pretender to
Scotland. He left the army to carry dispatches to rebels in Wales and then surveyed the south coast of England (disguised as a clergyman) in anticipation of a French invasion. He was arrested as a suspected spy and taken to London, but his release was procured by
John Drummond and Lloyd returned to France. He fought for the French army as a
major at the siege of
Bergen op Zoom in 1747. He then served the
Prussian army before returning to French service in 1754 in the service of
Marshal Charles Louis Auguste Fouquet de Belle-Isle. He then returned to England, this time disguised as a merchant, to carry out another survey of the coast for a French landing. He met up with Drummond in London, in 1756, claiming to be receiving £500 a year from the British government: Lloyd was never commissioned in the British army, but this may have been secret service money. He then joined the
Austrian army as a
lieutenant-colonel, and was a
quartermaster on the staff of
Field Marshal Franz Moritz von Lacy during the first stages of the
Seven Years' War. After being promoted to
major-general, Lloyd changed allegiances in 1760 and joined the
Prussian army, serving under
Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick. In 1763, he tried to join the
Portuguese forces, who were preparing to defend themselves against Spain but the conflict ended before he was able to secure a post with Count
Wilhelm Schaumburg-Lippe. ==Later career==