Special stamps known in Switzerland as 'soldier’s stamps' were issued to the troops for free during the First World War. This was presumably to help keep them in touch with family and friends back home, while they were serving at the frontiers. Each unit had its own design.
Left: Stamp from 40th Mountain Infantry Battalion.
Left: Stamp from 40th Mountain Infantry Battalion.
Different parts of a unit sometimes had their own stamps. These are stamps from the 3rd Division, for the divisional staff (left) and 37th Fusilier Battalion (right) respectively.
The two badges on the above pair of stamps are those of the cantons of Valais (left) and Bern (right), from which the 3rd Division’s soldiers were recruited.
Left: Another stamp from 40th Mountain Infantry Battalion.
Left: Stamp from 29th Fusilier Battalion. I am not sure what the creature shown in the background is!
A good source for more information on these stamps is the book by Markus Wittwer, "Die schweizerischen soldatenmarken. 1. Weltkrieg 1914/1918" (2004). It is in German but has many illustrations so it is still useful for the non-German speaker.
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