The Caribou Memorial Veterans Pavilion was constructed as an annex to the General Hospital in 1961 through a partnership with the Government of Canada, Department of Veterans Affairs and the General Hospital Corporation, to provide various levels of care for Veterans. When the Health Science Centre opened in 1978, the location was renamed to the Dr. L.A. Miller Centre and the pavilion became a long-term care facility. Veterans Affairs Canada funded extensive upgrades in 1993 and the pavilion re-opened in 1994.
The Remembrance Peace Window was designed by Peter Breckon, using mouth-blown, hand made antique glass. The window depicts the services of Newfoundlanders on sea, land and in the air in The Home Front, The Blue Puttees, Gallipoli, The Danger Tree, Korea, Normandy, Monte Casino, Seven Seas and St. John’s.
The Pavilion units include:
- Sergeant Tommy Ricketts, VC Place on VP2, 2nd floor; During the First World War, Private Tommy Ricketts was the youngest soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for bravery among troops of the British Empire.
- General Rick Hillier Place on VP2, 2nd floor; General Rick Hillier is a former Chief of the Defence Staff [CDS] who retired in 2020.
Last Post Services for deceased Veterans in the community of the pavilion are held at the Alter of Remembrance in the atrium. In 2002, Veterans Affairs Canada funded the addition of a large recreation space, the Caribou Sunroom. There is also the Blue Puttee Café, where floor to ceiling glass provides a panoramic view of the east end of the city.
