I was working in Switzerland in 2016-2019 and on 25/4/2018 my wife and I attended the Dawn Service at VB, and, let me tell you, it was a very moving day: the Dawn Service, the subsequent 10am repeat, the wonderful schoolkids and villagers, the whole darn town seems to have been Australianised (street names, cafe names, photos and montages in the museum, "Never forget the Australians" in huge letters in the school quadrangle - it was very hard to not be affected by the genuine respect. I'm affected right now, as I type this, with my recollections of that day and sadly wandering through the large cemetery - which was in wonderful condition - only added to the occasion.
Fast forward a couple of years and here is a photo of the "locals" proceeding to the War Memorial to show their support for the Aussies suffering the dreadful bushfires a couple of summers ago. Check the length of the line.
Macron appears to have been ignorant of the long-standing respect the French - or these French - have for the Aussies.
