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Sir Neville Francis Fitzgerald Chamberlain, (13 January 1856 – 28 May 1944) was an officer in the
British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...
. He was later Inspector-General of the Royal Irish Constabulary, and resigned in the aftermath of the 1916
Easter Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...
in Ireland. He is credited with having invented the game of
snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sports, cue sport played on a Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets, one at each corner and o ...
while serving in Jubbulpore ( Jabalpur), India, in 1875.


Early life

Chamberlain was born into a military family, in
Birmingham, Warwickshire Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
as the son of Charles Francis Falcon Chamberlain and his wife Marianne Ormsby Drury. He was also the nephew of Neville Bowles Chamberlain. He was educated at Brentwood School, and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.T. R. Moreman
‘Chamberlain, Sir Neville Francis Fitzgerald (1856–1944)
(subscription required), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, September 2004; online edition, May 2006, . Retrieved 11 February 2008


Military career

Chamberlain was commissioned a
sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...
in the
11th Foot The Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that served under various titles and served in many wars and conflicts from 1685 to 1958, such as the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. In 1958 ...
on 9 August 1873, and promoted to lieutenant in August 1874. In 1878, during the Second Anglo-Afghan War, he joined the staff of
Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...
Sir Frederick Roberts, Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in Afghanistan. Chamberlain was wounded slightly at the Battle of Kandahar. He served with Roberts at Ootacamund between 1881 and 1885. He was promoted to
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
on 9 August 1885, to
brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...
major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
on 7 November 1885, and to brevet lieutenant-colonel on 1 July 1887.Hart's Army list, 1901 In 1890 he became
Military Secretary Military Secretary is a post found in the military of several countries: * Military Secretary (India) *Military Secretary of Israel, called Military Secretary to the Prime Minister *Military Secretary (Pakistan) *Military Secretary (Sri Lanka) * Mil ...
to the
Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...
Government. He was promoted to brevet colonel on 6 January 1894. He was promoted to colonel on 6 February 1899, when he was appointed Colonel on the Staff in Delhi. Following the outbreak of the Second Boer War, Lord Roberts had been appointed Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in South Africa. Chamberlain rejoined Lord Roberts in South Africa in December 1899, as "First Aide-de-Camp and Private Secretary", and was highly commended by Roberts in despatches from the war in 1900.


Royal Irish Constabulary

Chamberlain was made a
Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...
in 1900. In the same year he was appointed Inspector-General of the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC), the armed police force for the whole of Ireland except Dublin. The force was under the direct control of the British Administration in Ireland, based in Dublin Castle. It was responsible for intelligence gathering as well as maintaining order, and was seen as the "eyes and ears" of the government. He formally resigned from the British Army on 1 November 1901. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in August 1903,
Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...
(KCVO) in 1911 and Knight of Grace in the Venerable Order of Saint John in April 1914, and was awarded the King's Police Medal in the 1915 New Year Honours. Chamberlain's years in the RIC coincided with the rise of a number of political, cultural and sporting organisations with the common aim of separating Ireland from the UK, which were often referred to as '' Sinn Féin'', culminating in the formation of the Irish Volunteers in 1913. In reports to the
Chief Secretary for Ireland The Chief Secretary for Ireland was a key political office in the British administration in Ireland. Nominally subordinate to the Lord Lieutenant, and officially the "Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant", from the early 19th century un ...
, Augustine Birrell, and the Under-Secretary, Sir Matthew Nathan, Chamberlain warned that the Volunteers were preparing to stage an insurrection and proclaim Irish independence. However, in April 1916, when Nathan showed him a letter from the army commander in the south of Ireland telling of an expected landing of arms on the south-west coast and a rising planned for Easter, they were both "doubtful whether there was any foundation for the rumour".Leon Ó Broin, ''Dublin Castle and the 1916 Rising'', Sidgwick & Jackson, 1966, p. 79 The
Easter Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...
began on Easter Monday, 24 April 1916, and lasted for six days, ending only when much of Sackville Street (now O'Connell Street) had been destroyed by artillery fire. Although the Royal Commission on the 1916 Rebellion (the
Hardinge Hardinge is a surname. People with the surname include: *Viscount Hardinge, UK peerage, including: **Henry Hardinge, 1st Viscount Hardinge (1785–1856), British Army field marshal, Governor-General of India **Charles Hardinge, 2nd Viscount Hardi ...
commission) cleared the RIC of any blame for the Rising, Chamberlain was eventually forced to resign following continued criticism of the force's intelligence handling.


Later life

After his retirement, Chamberlain lived in Ascot, Berkshire, England. On 19 March 1938, he had a letter published in '' The Field'' in which he claimed to have invented the game of
snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sports, cue sport played on a Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets, one at each corner and o ...
at the officers' mess of the 11th Devonshire Regiment in Jubbulpore ( Jabalpur), India in 1875. His claim was supported by the author Compton Mackenzie in a letter to ''The Billiard Player'' in 1939, and has been accepted by present-day governing bodies, such as the International Billiards and Snooker Federation. The '' Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' describes the circumstances in which the new game came about: Chamberlain married Mary Henrietta Hay (1866–1936) in 1886. Their daughter, Nora (1887–1956), married
Clive Wigram, 1st Baron Wigram Clive Wigram, 1st Baron Wigram, (5 July 1873 – 3 September 1960) was a British Indian Army officer and courtier. He was Private Secretary to the Sovereign from 1931 to 1936. Parentage and education Wigram was the son of Herbert Wigram. His ...
. Chamberlain died from
myocarditis Myocarditis, also known as inflammatory cardiomyopathy, is an acquired cardiomyopathy due to inflammation of the heart muscle. Symptoms can include shortness of breath, chest pain, decreased ability to exercise, and an irregular heartbeat. The ...
at his home on 28 May 1944, aged 88.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chamberlain, Neville Francis Fitzgerald 1856 births 1944 deaths Devonshire Regiment officers Inspectors-General of the Royal Irish Constabulary Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order English recipients of the Queen's Police Medal Snooker coaches, managers and promoters Cue sports inventors and innovators British Indian Army officers