It is also the oldest and longest-running snooker tournament in the world, having been established in 1916, three years before the standard rules of the game were first formulated in 1919 by the Billiards Association and Control Club and 11 years before the first World Snooker Championship.

Three of the losing finalists—Joe Johnson, John Parrott and Ronnie O'Sullivan—also lifted the world title as professionals.

The first Championship was held at Orme's Rooms, Soho Square, London starting on Monday 28 August and finishing on Tuesday 6 September, with no play at the weekend.

The event was promoted by the Billiard Association in aid of the Sportsman's Motor Ambulance Fund.

[6] "T N Palmer" was an alias used by Harry Hutchings Lukens (1883–1941), an American businessman who worked for DuPont.

[16] Sidney Fry beat Arthur Wisdom 166 to 117 in the challengers final and gained the right to play Harry Lukens.

Just two days earlier he had won the Amateur Billiards Championship for the sixth time.

On the final day, M J Vaughan from Coventry beat the holder, Arthur Wisdom, in the semi-final by a score of 180 to 152.

Jack McGlynn, then living in Nottingham, beat C Cox junior from Gravesend 423 to 301 in the final, winning 5 of the 7 frames.

In the two frames he won, Cox only led by 7 and 4 points and McGlynn was a convincing winner.

Walter Coupe, from Leicester, beat Jack McGlynn in the semi-final, winning all three frames.

[26] The American champion, J Howard Shoemaker, was unable to play, having had an appendix operation on the second day of the tournament.

[28] Defending champion Walter Coupe narrowly won his quarter-final against Fred Morley 147 to 143 despite losing two of the three frames.

WL Crompton from Blackpool scored the first recorded 50 break in the last frame of his match against JH Forster.

[33] In the final Jack McGlynn, the 1922 champion, beat Crompton 392 to 309 winning 4 of the 7 frames.

Firstly, the results of matches were in future based on frames won, not aggregate points.

The London section matches and the final stages were held at Burroughes Hall in Soho Square.

[44] 52 players entered, including previous winners Walter Coupe, Pat Matthews and Laurie Steeples.

Laurie Steeples met Frank Whittall in the final for the second successive year.

[50] Steeples had to withdraw as he was on the way to Australia to play in the Empire Amateur Billiards Championship in which Sydney Lee was also competing.

[54] Following the match, Bach, a commercial traveller from Birmingham, was arrested on a charge of obtaining £50 by false pretences.

The prosecutor said he must be a man of iron nerves because police officers arrived while the final was in progress.

In July 1924 he had been sentenced to 5 years penal servitude for attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, having held a loaded gun to the neck of a Mr Kohn.

Bach had married Mr Kohn's daughter in Gretna Green and as a consequence "a feeling of bitterness was engendered.

[61] 42 players entered the War-time Championship which were held at Burroughes Hall from 8 April to 3 May.

[66] By a strange coincidence the two met in the first match of the 1947 World Snooker Championship qualifying competition, also at Burroughes Hall, from 2 to 4 January 1947.

[67] Brown beat Kingsley Kennerley, the 1937 and 1940 Amateur Champion, in the final of the qualifying competition and advanced to the quarter-finals.

Alex Davies became the youngest winner in the history of championship in 2003 at the age of 15 years and 10 months.

[68] [69] The following players have won the tournament more than once: Pat Matthews (4), Marcus Owen (4), Jonathan Barron (3), Ron Gross (3), David Lilley (3), Charles Beavis (2), Walter Coupe (2), Ray Edmonds (2), Tommy Gordon (2), Martin Gould (2), David Grace (2), Terry Griffiths (2), Charles Jaques (2), Kingsley Kennerley (2), Jack McGlynn (2), Laurie Steeples (2).

The following players have been in the final on five occasions: Pat Matthews (4/5), Marcus Owen (4/5), Jonathan Barron (3/5), Ray Edmonds (2/5).