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[9] and then
Captain after four years on 2 August 1963.[10] Further promotion followed to the rank of
Major on 31 December 1968[11] and
Lieutenant Colonel on 30 June 1976[12] 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.[13]
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.[18]
In 2006, Blashford-Snell helped the London hatmakers
James Lock & Co. to design a hat to meet the needs of explorers.[20] Since 2001, he has been the Hon. Life President of the Centre for Fortean Zoology.[21] He is also a member of
the Ghost Club.[22] In 2010 he was made an Honorary Fellow of
Liverpool John Moores University[23]
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.[24]
Personal life
Blashford-Snell married Judith Sherman in 1960.[25][26] They had met whilst Blashford-Snell was still at Sandhurst; Sherman was attending the women's officer training unit. They have two daughters, Victoria and Emma.[27]
Works
Where the Trails Run Out, London, Hutchinson 1974.
ISBN0091213606
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.
ISBN0-370-30479-9
Operation Raleigh: the start of an adventure London, Collins, 1987.
ISBN0-00-217624-6
Something lost behind the ranges :the autobiography of John Blashford-Snell. London, HarperCollins, 1994.
ISBN0-00-255034-2
Mammoth hunt: in search of the giant elephants of Nepal by John Blashford-Snell and Rula Lenska. London, HarperCollins, 1996.
ISBN0-00-255672-3
Kota Mama: retracing the lost trade routes of ancient South American peoples by John Blashford-Snell and Richard Snailham. London, Headline, 2000.
ISBN0-7472-2281-9
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.
ISBN0-7195-6032-2
^"Honorary Fellowships 2010". Archived from
the original on 16 September 2010. Retrieved 7 November 2010., Honorary Fellowships 2010, Liverpool John Moores University, accessed 7 November 2010