[1] Born in 1841 in Newbury, Berkshire before relocating to Liverpool with his family aged 9, Cotterell came from modest means and had little education.
At the age ten, he began work at a succession of jobs, before becoming a cabin boy, crossing the Atlantic several times.
In January 1863, he was a cabin steward on a ship that was owned by a Liverpool merchant firm which was leaving for Oil Rivers.
After spending three years at Bonny, Cotterell was earning income with a share of profits, he also had some success singing at parties.
In the Oil Rivers, he was head of a committee that settled trade disputes and also processed incoming and outgoing mails.