This photo was probably taken just prior to a shift change, The butties look to be having a last bit of 'baccy' prior to riding the cage down to pit-bottom.
Yvonne Hill (nee Preest) added (July 2006): "I am sure that the figure obviously blowing smoke (as he did) was my father, Reg Preest. He started as a surface worker at Flour Mill on his 14th birthday, 1921, where he and others were cleaning lime from the boilers. He `went below` half-way through shift on his 16th birthday - he said that he `clapped his hands` at the move as he would now be earning 26/6d per week instead of 10/6d on the surface! .

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