| AdminHistory | Allen, Derek Fortrose (1910-1975) was a numismatist and archaeologist well known for his work on early coinage in Britain and Gaul. From 1935 until 1939 he was Assistant Keeper in the Department of Coins and Medals at the British Museum. Subsequently he worked in the Ministries of Shipping and Transport, rising to become Under-Secretary in the Ministry of Aviation. Celtic coins remained his great love and he maintained his interest in them, finding time to publish numerous papers and reports throughout the 1950s and 1960s. On his retirement from the civil service he was appointed Secretary of the British Academy, successor to Sir Mortimer Wheeler, a post he held until 1973. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1947 and a Fellow of the British Academy in 1963 |