After leaving secondary school Jon-Allan joined the RAF in 2002 and served in Afghanistan in 2005 and Iraq in 2007 as a SAC(T) Weapons technician. On 4 August 2007 he was involved in a rocket attack on Basra Air Station, Iraq. He was operated on by doctors in a battlefield hospital who carried out an above the elbow amputation of his left arm.
While recovering at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court in Surrey, Jon-Allan first made contact with British Cycling coaches at a Paralympics GB talen ID day in Loughborough on 25 October 2007. However, he did not follow this up because of a "Return back to work" programme and was put into action with the RAF, which he wanted to fully commit to.
Later in May 2008 he became involved with the Help for Heroes Big Battlefield Bike Ride, a 350 mile cycling challenge around the battlefields of Northern France to help raise funds to benefit other injured servicemen and women. However, as Jon-Allan had not ridden a bike since he was a child, there was the issue of him not owning a bike, but with the help of the RAF Benevolent Fund that was soon rectified.
Inspired by this experience and watching athletes such as Sir Chris Hoy in the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, he attend a selection weekend in Newport and was accepted onto the British Paracyling Programme in January 2009.
Following this, Jon-Allan decided that it was time he left the RAF, and focus his efforts on becoming an elite paracyclist. The RAF Association has helped to support Jon-Allan on this journey.
Despite cycling for only a few years, he has achieved a great deal and his family are all very proud of him for his achievements, not only in cycling but for overcoming and embracing new challenges in life since his tour in Iraq.
Thank you so much for visiting us last week. It was a lovely afternoon, even though the weather was not on our side...We really wish you the very best of luck in the games and hope you will visit us some time in October.
Chadsgrove School and Specialist Sports CollegeI wish to thank you for your magnificent support at our Annual Conference in Blackpool...I am sure that you will have given inspiration to everyone who came...
Royal Air Force Association
A dynamic and versatile speaker, Josh is able to draw upon his experience and expertise to give inf…