Derek Howard Matthews

The following note was provided by David Phillipson FSA.

Derek Matthews, news of whose death on 2 April 2009 has only recently reached the Society, served with the British military forces in Ethiopia during the Second World War. When our late Fellow, David Buxton, drew attention to the urgent need for restoration of the ancient monastery church at Debra Damo, Matthews (who had previously trained as an architect) was available on the spot. Funds were obtained through the good offices of Emperor Haile Sellassie, the British Council and the Society; during a period of less than three months in 1948, Matthews completed the daunting task of recording and consolidating the ancient building, located on a mountain top to which access may only be gained by means of a rope suspended over a17-metre cliff. The church is now widely accepted as the most ancient still in use in Ethiopia; without Matthews’ timely and highly successful intervention, it would have collapsed several decades ago. Matthews (with Antonio Mordini) published a comprehensive account of the church and its restoration in Archaeologia 97 (1959): 1-58. Subsequently, he undertook architectural studies and practice in Sudan and Yemen.

In 1995, I acted as Lecturer to a tour of Ethiopia under the auspices of The British Museum Traveller, Derek being one of the participants. It was the first and it – transpired –  the only occasion on which he returned to Ethiopia after the late 1940s. Debra Damo was not on the itinerary, but it was wonderful to observe his reaction to the country and the memories that the journey brought back to him. He was very warmly received by priests and other Ethiopians to whom I introduced him. Under extraordinarily difficult circumstances, he had made a major contribution to preserving the heritage of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and for this he will long be remembered.