Tributes paid to artist and former Maltby miner after his death at 81

Dave Brennan moved south from Scotland in the 1960s to work at the pit, and became involved in various aspects of the community.

“He was an amazing artist and a good friend of our family,” said Alice Rodgers, secretary of Maltby Local History Society, of which Mr Brennan had belonged.

“Charcoal was Dave’s favourite medium and for that event he produced two large drawings relating to the disaster, which remained in the Church of the Ascension until it closed.

“After 1983, he put on exhibitions in that church, at the Miners’ Welfare Institute and later at the Wesley Centre.

“He was a good cartoonist and once, after a meeting at which I had waffled on too long, he handed me his agenda to which he had added a witty image of a ‘certain woman’ spouting speech bubbles.”

Mr Brennan was on the 1983 committee which organised a commemoration service and exhibition marking the Maltby pit disaster’s 60th anniversary.

At the millennium, he was enlisted by the history group to create artwork depicting a Cistercian monk and a Maltby miner for an exhibition.

“They proved a triumph,” said Alice. “The top man at the museum was photographed with one of them in a publicity image which made it into the national press.

“When the Wesley Centre was opened, manager Ian Cruddas found funding to frame Dave’s millennium drawings and a place to hang them.

“They are still on the wall in the atrium and will now serve as a fitting memorial to an extraordinary talent.”