I HAD a wee chuckle at the piece (pardon the pun) ‘The pit piece’.

Most ex-miners will remember the standing joke when opening their piece box and saying “Ach no, jam and cheese again”, even though they probably made up their piece themselves. My friend, the late Bill Shaw, who played in the local brass band, went on a cultural visit to Russia in the 1950s.

He brought some presents back including some small tins of a famous Russian product. Returning to work, Bill at breaktime opened his piecebox, examined his sandwiches and said, “Ach no - caviar again!”.

GEORGE CAPPIE, Park Street, Crosshill.