In 1963 a 6-stamp commemorative set was issued by Swiss Post, two being of 50c. value. The 5c. stamp commemorated 50 years of the Swiss Boy Scout League and the 10c, seen below, the centenary of the Swiss Alpine Club.
The 20c. marked the 50th Anniversary of the Opening of the Latschberg Railway. This railway was completed on 15th June 1913 with the opening of the Latschberg Tunnel, which took 51 years to build and is 14,605 metres long. This new link to the Simplon line afforded a valuable second railway line traversing the Alps from North to South.
The 30c. stamp publicised the FAO – the World Campaign to Fight Hunger. The UNO Food & Agricultural Organisation (FAO) in Rome recommended its member nations to support the world campaign to fight hunger by the issue of special postage stamps.
The first 50c. stamp in the set commemorates the Centenary of the Red Cross. Horrified by the carnage at the Battle of Solferino in 1859, part of the Second Italian War of Independence, Henri Dunant – a Swiss businessman, humanitarian and social activist – sought a way to alleviate the suffering of wounded soldiers and civilian population directly affected by warfare and this led to the founding of the Red Cross in 1863. Its emblem was a direct compliment to Dunant, being the reverse of the colours of the Swiss flag. On this occasion, too, a miniature sheet was issued, consisting of a block of 4 stamps based on the design of the Red Cross stamp sold for Fr.3.
The second 50c. stamp shows the Hotel des Postes in Paris. It was here that a Conference for the regulation of the international exchange of mail was held from 11 May to 8 June, 1863. Thirteen countries, including Switzerland, were represented at the Conference, which led to the founding of the U.P.U. (Universal Postal Union) in 1874. The stamp marks the centenary of that first meeting.
