sort

Neville Chamberlain

Neville Francis Fitzgerald Chamberlain (1856-1944), was born on January 13th, 1856 at Upton Park in Upton, Buckinghamshire, England, the only son of Lt. Col. Charles Francis Falcon Chamberlain of the Indian Army and Marion Ormsby Chamberlain, the daughter of a Madras civil servant. He had a number of relatives who were also notable figures in British society, including Sir Neville Bowles Chamberlain, his uncle; and Houston Stewart Chamberlain, his cousin and the prominent political philosopher. He served in India, South Africa, and Northern Ireland. He participated in the Second Afghan War and in the Burma Expedition of 1886-87. He was military secretary to the government of Kashmir from 1890 to 1897. He served Sir Francis (later Earl) Robertson as staff officer, adjutant, Persian interpreter, and private secretary during the first year of the Second Anglo-Boer War. In July of 1916, Chamberlain tendered his resignation and proceeded to Brookville House, Rahaney, Dublin. Thereafter, he relocated once more to England, where he passed away on May 28, 1944. His final resting place is at Wilderness, Ascot, Berkshire.

On March 19, 1938, Chamberlain composed a letter to The Field in which he described the inception of snooker, which occurred six decades prior. He did not furnish any substantiating evidence. The letter is replete with inaccuracies and logical inconsistencies. It does not explain why he had remained silent for so long. Ascot, where he lived for the last few years, was a regular venue for snooker tournaments. A horse with the nickname Snooker was repeatedly entered in the races held at Ascot. Attempts to confirm Sir Neville Chamberlain’s authorship have been unsuccessful. It can be argued that there are no facts to support the contention that it was Chamberlain who created snooker. None of the young lieutenants, purportedly present at Chamberlain’s creation of snooker, have confirmed this. However, some of these individuals had future involvement in billiards, and their relatives had a hand in developing snooker.

In conclusion, while there are opinions that Chamberlain was responsible for the birth of snooker, there are no concrete facts to substantiate this claim. Consequently, Sir Neville Chamberlain remains in history as the man credited with the birth of snooker.

Sort by date:
×
Cookies
We serve cookies. If you think that's OK, just click "Accept all". You can also choose what kind of cookies you want by clicking "Settings". Read our cookie policy
Settings Accept all
Cookies
Choose what kind of cookies to accept. Your choice will be saved for one year. Read our cookie policy
Save Accept all