Colonel John Nicholas Blashford-Snell OBE is a former British Army officer, explorer and author. He was brought up on stirring adventures from Boy's Own Paper and the exploits of famous explorers such as Captain Scott and Ernest Shackleton read to him by his grandmother. Blashford-Snell was educated at Victoria College, Jersey and at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, then commissioned into the Royal Engineers. Amongst his expeditions were the first descent of the Blue Nile during which he invented white water rafting 'by accident'; crossing of the Dari�n Gap and overseeing the first north?south vehicular journey from Alaska to Cape Horn; and a complete navigation of the Congo River. In 1969, he founded the Scientific Exploration Society. In 1978 he 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. He was awarded the Segrave Trophy in 1974 and in 1993, he was awarded the Patron's Gold Medal of the Royal Geographical Society. 

October 22nd, 1936 in (Age 87)