His father was assistant Master at Sherborne School when he was born, but the family soon after returned to Highgate.
[6] Hetherington returned to the British Army during the First World War when he was appointed temporary Inspector of Works in the Staff of the Royal Engineers with the honorary rank of Lieutenant on 14 April 1915.
They had a daughter and three sons, the second of whom was Sir Arthur Ford Hetherington (1911–2002) who was Chairman of British Gas plc.
[10] Hetherington's career as a civil servant began in 1930 when he became the Chief Engineering Inspector at the Ministry of Health, a post he would hold until 1944.
[1] His eldest son Roger Le Geyt Hetherington (1908–1990) was president of the ICE for 1972–73.