Just Nuisance (1 April 1937 – 1 April 1944) was the only dog ever to be officially enlisted in the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
. He was a
Great Dane
The Great Dane is a large sized dog breed originating from Germany. The Great Dane descends from hunting dogs from the Middle Ages used to hunt wild boar and deer, and as guardians of German nobility. It is one of the largest breeds in the world ...
who between 1939 and 1944 served at HMS ''Afrikander'', a Royal Navy shore establishment in
Simon's Town
Simon's Town ( af, Simonstad), sometimes spelled Simonstown, is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa and is home to Naval Base Simon's Town, the South African Navy's largest base. It is located on the shores of False Bay, on the eastern sid ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
. He died in 1944 at the age of seven years and was buried with full military honours.
Biography
Early life
Although the exact date of Just Nuisance's birth is not known, it is usually stated that he was born on 1 April 1937 in
Rondebosch
Rondebosch is one of the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa. It is primarily a residential suburb, with shopping and business districts as well as the main campus of the University of Cape Town.
History
Four years after the first Dutch s ...
, a suburb of
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
. He was sold to Benjamin Chaney, who later moved to Simon's Town to run the
United Services Institute (USI). Just Nuisance quickly became popular with the patrons of the institute and in particular the
rating
A rating is an evaluation or assessment of something, in terms of quality, quantity, or some combination of both.
Rating or ratings may also refer to:
Business and economics
* Credit rating, estimating the credit worthiness of an individual, c ...
s, who would feed him snacks and take him for walks. He began to follow them back to the naval base and dockyards, where he would lie on the decks of ships that were moored at the wharf. His preferred resting place was the top of the
gangplank
A gangway is a narrow passage that joins the quarterdeck to the forecastle of a sailing ship. The term is also extended to mean the narrow passages used to board or disembark ships.
Modern shipping uses gangways to embark and disembark passeng ...
.
Since he was a large dog even for a Great Dane (he was almost tall when standing on his hind legs), he presented a sizeable obstacle for those trying to board or disembark and he became affectionately known as Nuisance.
Train travel
Nuisance was allowed to roam freely and, following the sailors, he began to take day trips by train as far afield as Cape Town, away. Despite the seamen's attempts to conceal him, the
conductors would put him off the trains as soon as he was discovered. This did not cause the dog any difficulty, as he would wait for the next train, or walk to another station, where he would board the next train that came along.
Amused travellers would occasionally offer to pay his fare but officials of the state-owned railway company (South African Railways and Harbours) eventually warned Chaney that Nuisance would have to be
put down unless he was prevented from boarding the trains or had his fares paid.
Naval service
![Just Nuisance at Jubilee Square - panoramio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Just_Nuisance_at_Jubilee_Square_-_panoramio.jpg)
The news that Nuisance was in danger of being put down spurred many of the sailors and locals to write to the Navy, pleading for something to be done. Although somebody offered to buy him a season ticket, naval command instead decided to enlist him by the book. As a member of the armed forces, he would be entitled to free rail travel, so the fare-dodging would no longer be a problem. It proved to be an excellent idea. For the next few years he would be a morale booster for the troops serving in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
He was enlisted on 25 August 1939. His
surname
In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community.
Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...
was entered as "Nuisance" and, rather than leaving the
forename
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...
blank, he was given the moniker "Just". His trade was listed as "Bonecrusher" and his religious affiliation as "Scrounger", although this was later altered to the more charitable "Canine Divinity League (Anti-Vivisection)". To allow him to receive rations and because of his longstanding unofficial service, he was promoted from
Ordinary seaman
__NOTOC__
An ordinary seaman (OS) is a member of the deck department of a ship. The position is an apprenticeship to become an able seaman, and has been for centuries. In modern times, an OS is required to work on a ship for a specific amount o ...
to
Able seaman
An able seaman (AB) is a seaman and member of the deck department of a merchant ship with more than two years' experience at sea and considered "well acquainted with his duty". An AB may work as a watchstander, a day worker, or a combination ...
.
He never went to sea but fulfilled a number of roles ashore. He continued to accompany sailors on train journeys and escorted them back to base when the pubs closed. While many of his functions were of his own choosing, he also appeared at many promotional events, including his own 'wedding' to another Great Dane, Adinda. Adinda produced five pups as a result, two of which, named Victor and Wilhelmina, were auctioned off in Cape Town to raise funds for the
war effort
In politics and military planning, a war effort is a coordinated mobilization of society's resources—both industrial and human—towards the support of a military force. Depending on the militarization of the culture, the relative size ...
.
Nuisance's service record was not exemplary. Aside from the offences of travelling on the trains without his free pass, being absent without leave, losing his collar and refusing to leave the pub at closing time, his record shows that he was sentenced to having all bones removed for seven days for sleeping in an improper place – to wit, the bed of one of the
petty officer
A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotation OR-5 or OR-6. In many nations, they are typically equal to a sergeant in comparison to other military branches. Often they may be superior ...
s. He also fought with the mascots of ships that put in at
Simon's Town
Simon's Town ( af, Simonstad), sometimes spelled Simonstown, is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa and is home to Naval Base Simon's Town, the South African Navy's largest base. It is located on the shores of False Bay, on the eastern sid ...
, resulting in the deaths of at least two of them.
Discharge and death
![Just Nuisance's Grave (1)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Just_Nuisance%27s_Grave_%281%29.jpg)
Nuisance was at some point involved in a car accident. This caused
thrombosis
Thrombosis (from Ancient Greek "clotting") is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. When a blood vessel (a vein or an artery) is injured, the body uses platelets (thro ...
, which gradually paralysed him, so on 1 January 1944 he was discharged from the Navy. His condition continued to deteriorate, and on 1 April 1944 he was taken to Simon's Town Naval Hospital where, on the advice of the naval veterinary surgeon, he was put down.
The next day he was taken to Klawer Camp, where his body was draped with a
Royal Naval White Ensign and he was buried with full naval honours, including a
gun salute
A gun salute or cannon salute is the use of a piece of artillery to fire shots, often 21 in number (''21-gun salute''), with the aim of marking an honor or celebrating a joyful event. It is a tradition in many countries around the world.
Histo ...
and the playing of the "
Last Post
The "Last Post" is either an A or a B♭ bugle call, primarily within British infantry and Australian infantry regiments, or a D or an E♭ cavalry trumpet call in British cavalry and Royal Regiment of Artillery (Royal Horse Artillery and R ...
". A simple granite headstone marks his grave, which is on the top of the hill at Klawer, at the former SA Navy Signal School.
A statue was erected in Jubilee Square in Simon's Town to commemorate his life.
The
Simon's Town Museum
Established in 1977, Simon's Town Museum is a community museum situated in Simon's Town, a suburb of Cape Town in the Western Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa. It is a province-aided museum which receives support from the Government o ...
has an exhibition dedicated to his story, and since 2000 there has been an annual parade of Great Danes from which a lookalike is selected.
See also
*
Bamse
''Bamse – Världens starkaste björn'' () is a Swedish cartoon created by Rune Andréasson. The highly popular children's cartoon first emerged as a series of television short films as well as a weekly half-page Sunday strip in 1966, before b ...
, heroic St. Bernard dog officially enrolled in the Royal Norwegian Navy
*
List of individual dogs
This is a list of individual famous actual dogs; for famous dogs from fiction, see List of fictional dogs.
Actors
Advertising
* Axelrod, Basset Hound, appeared in commercials and print ads for Flying "A" Service Station advertisements in ...
*
Military animal
Military animals are trained animals that are used in warfare and other combat related activities. As working animals, different military animals serve different functions. Horses, elephants, camels, and other animals have been used for both tran ...
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
{{commons category
Photo of Seaman Just Nuisance on the occasion of his 'wedding' to Adinda on 1 June 1941, at Hout Bay
1937 animal births
1944 animal deaths
Individual dogs
Military animals
Dog monuments
Military animals of World War II