In New Zealand and Australia ANZAC Day (25 April) is the day reserved for commemoration of the countries' military sacrifices, but in Britain, France and Belgium it is 11 November, as WWI ended that day in 1918. In North America 11 November is Veterans Day.
New Zealand's losses in WWI were much higher than in WWII, despite having to also fight the Japanese in WWII, as were those of Australia, Britain and France - mainly due to the stupidity of the generals in charge. The ANZAC involvement at Gallipoli in Turkey in 1915 was a totally futile exercise which squandered many lives. The symbol of remembrance - the poppy - is very apt as its prolific growth where the fighting took place in France and Belgium can't help but remind of the copious bloodshed which took place there. Until WWI, the cult of heroic courage in battle was something that was generally cherished. That feeling was muted after WWI, in Britain and France at least, and after WWII, pretty much everywhere in Europe.
It is of course unlikely that wars will ever cease as lunatics take charge in less developed countries, and we need armed forces for that reason, but war is never nice, only horrible.
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