In Sunderland (Ryhope Road) Cemetery is the Commonwealth War Grave with a private headstone of 1109590 Sergeant Arthur John Witherington, serving with the 57 Squadron Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve who died 16/09/1941.

He was the son of Arthur Simpson Witherington and Catherine Witherington, of Sunderland.

The headstone, to the left of the stone commemorating his parents,  reads:

In loving memory of
Arthur John Witherington
Sergeant Pilot,  RAF, VR
killed on operational flight
16th September 1941, aged 20 years
second son of A.S. and C. Witherington

Sgt. Witherington was serving with 57 Squadron. He was a crew member of Wellington IC X9923 DX- which took off from Feltwell on a mission to Hamburg. The aircraft crashed and went on fire at Marham, Norfolk. Two crew died, two were injured and two survived.

Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War: 1941; W.R. Chorley; 1993; Midland Counties Publications; ISBN 0 904597 87 3

The Sunderland Echo 28/11/1942 reports:
Sergt. Witherington was a bomber pilot. He was badly wounded while on a flight over Germany. His determination enabled him to bring his plane and his fellow members of the crew safely back, but he collapsed and died shortly after landing at the aerodrome.

The Newcastle Evening Chronicle 20/11/1942 reports:
When home on leave only a short while before his death he played for Sunderland Cricket Club, of which he was a member, in a match at Ashbrooke, and it was largely due to his skilled batting and bowling that his team won.

His brother Denys was killed in 1944.

Arthur John Witherington is remembered at Sunderland on S140.046, S140.076, S140.142 and S140.162 and in a R.A.F. Book of Remembrance page 122.