29 April 2025
In the vaulted beauty of Amiens Cathedral, the Royal Australian Navy Band closed a week of Anzac commemorations with a stirring concert, their music rising into the gothic heights of one of France’s most historic churches.
Among them stood musician Leading Seaman Simon Bartlett, whose connection to each performance ran deeper than duty.
“For me, it wasn’t just about the music,” Leading Seaman Bartlett said.
“It was about performing in a place tied to my grandfather’s service, feeling that history all around us as we played.”
The Royal Australian Navy Band, travelling with Australia’s Federation Guard, had spent the days before supporting Anzac Day ceremonies in Villers-Bretonneux and Bullecourt, before concluding with the concert in Amiens.
For Leading Seaman Bartlett, it was a personal pilgrimage.
His grandfather, Private Frederick Matthew Bartlett, had served nearby during World War 1 as a machine gunner with the 16th Infantry Battalion.
After the war, he continued his service through music, joining the Australian Army Band at Victoria Barracks as a conductor.
'It was about performing in a place tied to my grandfather’s service, feeling that history all around us as we played.'
His leadership and dedication were later recognised with the King’s Medal – an honour reserved for non-commissioned officers of exceptional service.
It was the start of a tradition that would span generations.
“Our family always had a passion for music,” Leading Seaman Bartlett said.
“It’s something that’s shaped us all – it’s in our blood.”
That passion lived on; Leading Seaman Bartlett’s father, a talented pianist and organist, was regarded as a prodigy.
He was even dubbed a local legend in Sydney as the “phantom piano player”, secretly performing in darkness aboard the Manly ferry.
“As the ferry crossed the Heads, he’d play in the darkness,” Leading Seaman Bartlett said.
“Before the lights came back on, he’d vanish, it became a legend.”
For Leading Seaman Bartlett, performing in Amiens was more than a concert – it was a tribute to his family’s service, sacrifice, and enduring musical spirit.
“To honour my grandfather in this way, through the band, in a place connected to our history, it meant everything,” he said.
