Colonel John Nicholas Blashford-Snell (born 22 October 1936) is a former British Army officer, explorer and author. He founded Operation Raleigh and the Scientific Exploration Society. Early life and education John Nicholas Blashford-Snell was born on 22 October 1936 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, and Gwendoline Ives Sadler. Blashford-Snell grew up in Herefordshire and Jersey and was educated at Victoria College, Jersey from 1950. 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. 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 and then Captain after four years on 2 August 1963. Further promotion followed to the rank of Major on 31 December 1968 and Lieutenant Colonel on 30 June 1976 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. He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1976 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews. Expeditions In 1969, Blashford-Snell founded the Scientific Exploration Society. Amongst his expeditions were the first descent of the Blue Nile, 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). He was awarded the Segrave Trophy in 1974 and the Livingstone Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in recognition of his leadership of the expeditions. 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. In 1993, Blashford-Snell was awarded the Patron's Medal of the Royal Geographical Society. In 2006, Blashford-Snell helped the London hatmakers James Lock & Co. to design a hat to meet the needs of explorers. Since 2001, he has been the Hon. Life President of the Centre for Fortean Zoology. He is also a member of the Ghost Club. In 2010 he was made an Honorary Fellow