John Blatchley was a victim of rheumatic fever as a teenager and as a result unfit for service in the second World War. In 1935 Blatchley joined Gurney Nutting and during the war he joined Rolls-Royce and worked on engine cowling design for several aircraft. At the end of the war he tidied up the design of the Bentley MkVI and did more work to restyle it as the Bentley R-type and Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn. Although he worked on the R-type Continental, he claimed the final design was Ian Everden, although Blatchley did do the design of the S-type Continental for Park ward. Blatchley's next design was to become the Silver Shadow, but deemed too radical in 1954 he drew a fresh design in one week which was sold as the Bentley S-type and Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. The Rolls-Royce Phantom V and VI were designed by Blatchley on a longer Silver Cloud chassis and made by Mulliner Park Ward.