COXSWAIN WALTER O. COTTON, who died on the 23rd of May, 1948, at the age of 71, served at four life-boat stations in the Isle of Wight. He began his life-boat service in 1898 as a member of the crew at Brighstone Grange, of which his father was then coxswain, and at the end of 1913 was appointed second-coxswain. In 1915 the station was closed and the following year Cotton became pilot of the steam lifeboat at Totland Bay, and served in it for two years. After that, until 1924, he was a member of the Brooke crew.

In 1924 the Institution opened a new station at Yarmouth and Cotton was appointed its coxswain. He served as coxswain for over twenty years, retiring in 1944. During those years the lifeboat rescued 122 lives.

At the beginning of the war of 1939 to 1945 he won the Institution's silver medal for splendid endurance and navigation.

This was on November 14th, 1939, when the life-boat rescued twelve lives from one of H.M. trawlers, ashore off Brighstone Lookout on a dark night with heavy rain and a gale blowing..