Emotional Hollande pays WWI tribute We will not forget - never. So said an emotional French President Francois Hollande at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra on Wednesday. Mr Hollande, the first French head of state to visit Australia, paid tribute to the country's role and sacrifice in World War I a century ago. More than 410,000 Australian soldiers fought in the WWI with an estimated 61,000 casualties. "France will never forget the Diggers, those who fought in Somme, in Flanders, they fought for their country, for our country, and for freedom," Mr Hollande said through a translator. French troops fought alongside Australian forces at Gallipoli and three years later allied forces re-took the village of Villers-Bretonneux "where they left an indelible print." The 1918 second battle of Villers-Bretonneux is considered a turning point in the war, but came at the loss of 1200 Australians. The courage of Australian soldiers set an example for the world, Mr Hollande said. You saved us and you saved France. We will be forever grateful to Australia. The soldier buried in Canberra's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier died on a French battlefield. Having bowed in front of the tomb, Mr Hollande said of the soldier: "He is forever our son, a son of France." Soil from the region was used in a tree planting ceremony later. "It is in the same ... soil that Villers-Bretonneux that the Australian soldiers who died there are buried," the president said. Thank you, Australia. We will not forget, never.