Born in 1936, John was educated at Victoria College, Jersey and subsequently entered The Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. His family roots lie in Jersey where his paternal grandfather was a sea captain. His Father was an Army Chaplain and his Mother is well remembered for her care of animals as well as the people of their parishes. John grew up amongst a menagerie of wounded and orphaned wildlife, which generated his interest in conservation. He married Judith in 1960, they have two married daughters and live in Dorset.
The Explorer
In 1968 Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia invited the British Army to send a team to explore and make the first descent of the infamous Blue Nile. Captain John Blashford-Snell of the Royal Engineers was commissioned to select, train and lead the 60 strong party. The success of this immense expedition led to even tougher assignments such as the first vehicle crossing of the complete Darien Gap in 1971-2 and in 1974-5, navigating almost all the 2,700 miles of the great Zaire River. Both these ventures had strong environmental, medical and scientific objectives.
Thus John has become one of the world’s most renowned and highly respected explorers and his innovative method of negotiating white water in inflatable boats has been adopted as a world-wide sport.
In 1969, following the success of the Blue Nile Expedition, JBS and his colleagues formed the Scientific Exploration Society, their aim being to 'foster and encourage scientific exploration world-wide'. The SES became the parent body for several world-wide ventures with the support and involvement of HRH The Prince of Wales.
Inspired by the spirit of Sir Francis Drake's voyage 400 years ago, John poured his energy into raising funds and selecting a team to run Operation Drake. As a result of the success of this venture, the Fairbridge Drake Society was formed to help under-privileged young people and subsequently, at the request of the Government and large number of organisations, a second and much larger global youth programme was organised. In 1984 JBS launched Operation Raleigh and by 1992 over 10,000 young men and women from 50 nations had taken part in challenges and worthwhile expeditions all over the world, returning home as true young pioneers intent on putting something back into their own communities.
In 1991, John retired from the Army and as Director General of Operation Raleigh. Following many requests to use his wealth of experience to provide similar opportunities for mature people, he set up Discovery Expeditions with his son in law Julian Matthews.
With his indefatigable energy, John has found time to write thirteen books, including his autobiography 'Something Lost Behind the Ranges' published in 1994 and his new book 'Mammoth Hunt' on the quest for the giant elephants of Nepal, published by Harper Collins.
He Also broadcasts and appears on a variety of wildlife and entertainment programmes. His presentations can be humorous or serious and he lectures around the world on leadership, motivation and team building