Ronald Henry Etherton was born on 2 November 1921 at Sydney, New South Wales, to Henry Etherton and Florence Wilson Etherton (née Ruddock). He was the oldest of five siblings, and lived with his family at Kogarah, New South Wales. After finishing his education at Canterbury High School, Etherton became a junior clerk at the Sydney Public Trust Office.

On 20 June 1942, Etherton enlisted to the Royal Australian Air Force at Sydney. He did initial training at Temora and Edmonton Park in New South Wales, and then embarked for Canada in early 1943 to take part in the Empire Air Training Scheme. While stationed in Edmonton, Alberta, he met Jean Ayre. They became sweethearts, and regularly wrote to each other after he was stationed elsewhere.

Etherton qualified as a navigator on 23 July 1943, and embarked for the United Kingdom on 1 September 1943. He completed further training in Scotland and England before being assigned to 76 Squadron, Royal Air Force on 19 June 1944. Etherton and his crew were based in Yorkshire, and flew Halifax bombers as part of the strategic bombing campaign against Germany.

On 13 August 1944, Ronald Henry Etherton was declared missing after he and his crew failed to return from a bombing mission targeting Russelsheim, near Frankfurt, Germany. He was later confirmed to have died in the operation. He was 22 years old.

Etherton is buried at Choloy war Cemetery, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France.