Just Nuisance Statue

Bronze statue of the only dog ever officially enlisted in the Royal Navy

The Just Nuisance statue on Jubilee Square in Simon's Town honours one of the more unlikely characters in Royal Navy history — a 1.9-metre-tall Great Dane who was enlisted as an Able Seaman in 1939. The bronze, by sculptor Jean Doyle, stands at the heart of the harbourfront square and is one of the most photographed spots in town.

The Simon's Town Museum nearby holds Nuisance's collar, his enlistment papers and photographs from his short, gentle life. He died in 1944 and was buried under a Union flag on Klaver Camp, with a service involving a firing party and a marine bugler.

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A story
Just Nuisance, a Great Dane born in 1937, became such a beloved fixture in the bars of Simon's Town that the Royal Navy formally enlisted him as an Able Seaman in 1939 — partly so that sailors travelling with him on the train wouldn't be charged for his ticket. He died in 1944 and was buried with full naval honours.

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