(Says Mr Fynn, Mine Manager

"What the fuck is this?"

Says Andy Goose, his deputy

"It stinks like Devil's Piss!")

During the Miner's Strike of 1984/85 I worked at North Gawber Mine near Barnsley providing safety cover to the engineers and managers doing underground inspections.

Besides offering access to the mine for men and materials, shafts also provided ventilation, the downcast shaft sucking air into the mine and the upcast shaft expelling it.

During winter weather braziers were often lit at the downcast shaftside to prevent ice forming on the winding ropes.

A ripping wheeze to play was The Devil's Piss.

We waited until the offcoming shift of engineers were being wound up the downcast shaft and then relieved ourselves on the brazier. Clouds of vile smelling yellow-green steam, stinking of a putrid combination of smoke, sulphur and ammonia exploded from it, which immediately got sucked into the shaft, making its way on its downdraught as the engineers made theirs up.

What you did then was to run like fuck.