Out and About July 2022 issue199

Walsh’s Wisdom
A BRITISH SAILOR
NAMED NUISANCE
Just Nuisance, a Great Dane, is the only dog ever
to have been officially enlisted in the Royal Navy.
During World War II between 1939 and 1944, the
donkey-sized hound served with HMS Afrikander at
the Royal Navy naval base in Simonstown near Cape
Town.
The massive mutt was purchased when still a pup
by his owner, Benjamin Chaney. Chaney managed
the United Service Institute which was a favourite
watering hole for sailors.
A very approachable dog, he soon became a
familiar figure around the town. Nuisance was taken
for walks and treated to pies, biscuits and beer by the
sailors, to whom he became a sort of mascot.
The dog, in turn, became very fond of sailors and
followed them everywhere, to the naval base, the
dockyards and even onto the ships. Nuisance was
large even for a Great Dane. The canine made a habit
of lounging about at the top of the gangplank, he
blocked the gateway to the vessel and this earned
him the nickname, Nuisance.
The Great Dane would often escort drunken sailors
safely back from the train or the pub to their bunks,
even if they weren’t actually based in Simon’s Town.
However, it was his habit of following sailors onto
trains that got him into trouble. When the sailors
went on leave, he liked to go with them on the train
to Cape Town. Not having a ticket, the sailors would
try to conceal him from the Ticket Inspector.
But, more often than not, the stowaway would
be exposed and Nuisance would be ejected from
the train at the next station. It was not a problem for
Nuisance as he would simply jump on the next train
to complete his journey.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Navy came up
with the perfect solution: Nuisance would be enlisted
into the Royal Navy. An enlisted man was entitled to
free rail travel and so on August 25, 1939.
Just Nuisance was signed up as naval rating. His
name was listed as Just Nuisance, his trade was listed
as Bone-crusher and his religion was Scrounger.
Nuisance signed his papers with a paw mark which
entitled him to free rations.
A seaman was assigned to Nuisance to ensure
he was regularly groomed and to prepare him for
appearing at parades wearing his seaman’s hat.
Alas, he was not the perfect seaman, as his
Conduct Sheet shows. He committed many offences.
These included riding the train without his pass,
going Absent Without Leave (AWOL), losing his
dog collar, and refusing to leave the pub at closing
time. And, on one occasion he was caught sleeping
in a Petty Officer’s bed. For this last misdeed, he was
denied bones for seven days.
Just Nuisance had to be discharged from the
Navy for health reasons on 1 January 1944. He had
been involved in a car accident and developed a
thrombosis which was slowly paralysing him. It was
decided that the kindest thing to do would be to put
him down and so on 1 April 1944 the Naval Surgeon
put him to sleep.
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Michael Walsh Heart to Heart Poetry, Amazon Books.
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