John Blashford-Snell
British explorer and author (born 1936) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Colonel John Nicholas Blashford-Snell CBE (born 22 October 1936) is a former British Army officer, explorer and author. He founded Operation Raleigh and the Scientific Exploration Society.[1]
John Blashford-Snell | |
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| Birth name | John Nicholas Blashford-Snell |
| Born | 22 October 1936 Hereford, Herefordshire, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1954–1991 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Service number | 453555 |
| Unit | Royal Engineers |
| Awards | Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
| Spouse(s) |
Judith Sherman (m. 1960) |
| Children | 2 |
Early life and education
John Nicholas Blashford-Snell was born on 22 October 1936[2] in Hereford, England, the son of Alderman the Reverend Leland John Blashford-Snell (1903–1978), MBE, Prebendary of Hereford Cathedral, and formerly of the Royal Army Chaplains' Department,[3][4] and Gwendoline Ives Sadler.[5][6] Blashford-Snell grew up in Herefordshire and Jersey and was educated at Victoria College, Jersey from 1950.[7][8] Blashford-Snell joined the British Army and attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as an officer cadet after which he was commissioned into the Royal Engineers on 2 August 1957.[9]
Military service
Having served his initial two years of his commission as a Second Lieutenant Blashford-Snell was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 2 August 1959[10] and then Captain after four years on 2 August 1963.[11] Further promotion followed to the rank of Major on 31 December 1968[12] and Lieutenant Colonel on 30 June 1976[13] before reaching his final rank of Colonel on 30 June 1982. After 37 years of service, Blashford-Snell retired from the British Army on 30 December 1991.[14]
He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1976 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews.
Expeditions
Summarize
Perspective
In 1969, Blashford-Snell founded the Scientific Exploration Society.[15]
Amongst his expeditions were the first descent of the Blue Nile at the behest of Haile Selassie, during which he invented white-water rafting 'by accident' (in 1968); crossing of the Darién Gap (1971 to 1972) and overseeing the first north–south vehicular journey from Alaska to Cape Horn; and a complete navigation of the Congo River (in 1974 to 1975).[7] He was awarded the Segrave Trophy in 1974[16][17] and the Livingstone Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in recognition of his leadership of the expeditions.[18]
In 1978, Blashford-Snell established Operation Drake, which later developed into Operation Raleigh, an educational initiative for young people, of which he was Director General until he retired from this post in 1991.[19]
In 1993, Blashford-Snell was awarded the Patron's Medal of the Royal Geographical Society.[20]
In 2006, Blashford-Snell helped the London hatmakers James Lock & Co. to design a hat to meet the needs of explorers.[21] Since 2001, he has been the Hon. Life President of the Centre for Fortean Zoology.[22] He is also a member of the Ghost Club.[23] In 2010 he was made an Honorary Fellow of Liverpool John Moores University[24]
His publications include an autobiography, Something Lost Behind the Ranges (1994).
Blashford-Snell has been a member of The Explorers Club since 1974. In 1992, he was awarded the Sweeney Medal in honour of his outstanding contributions to the welfare and objectives of the organization.[25]
Personal life
Blashford-Snell married Judith Sherman in 1960.[26][27] They had met whilst Blashford-Snell was still at Sandhurst; Sherman was attending the women's officer training unit. They have two daughters.[28]
Works
- Where the Trails Run Out, London, Hutchinson 1974. ISBN 0091213606
- In the Steps of Stanley, London, Hutchison 1975. ISBN 0-09-125080-3
- Expeditions: the Experts' way, edited by John Blashford-Snell and Alistair Ballantine. London, Faber 1977. ISBN 0-571-11116-5
- A taste for adventure, London, Hutchinson 1978. ISBN 0-09-136010-2
- In the wake of Drake, John Blashford-Snell and Michael Cable. London, W.H. Allen 1980. ISBN 0-352-30750-1
- Operation Drake, London, W.H. Allen 1981. ISBN 0-491-02965-9
- The expedition organiser’s guide by John Blashford-Snell & Richard Snailham ; written for the Scientific Exploration Society. London, The Daily Telegraph, 1982.
- Mysteries: encounter with the unexplained, London, Bodley Head 1983. ISBN 0-370-30479-9
- Operation Raleigh: the start of an adventure, London, Collins 1987. ISBN 0-00-217624-6
- Something lost behind the ranges: The autobiography of John Blashford-Snell, London, HarperCollins 1994. ISBN 0-00-255034-2
- Mammoth hunt: In search of the giant elephants of Nepal by John Blashford-Snell and Rula Lenska. London, HarperCollins 1996. ISBN 0-00-255672-3
- Kota Mama: retracing the lost trade routes of ancient South American peoples by John Blashford-Snell and Richard Snailham. London, Headline 2000. ISBN 0-7472-2281-9
- East to the Amazon: in search of Great Paititi and the trade routes of the ancients by John Blashford-Snell and Richard Snailham. London, John Murray 2002. ISBN 0-7195-6032-2
- From Utmost East to Utmost West. Bradt 2022 ISBN 978-1784778446
References
External links
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