Morris William "Mo" Shapir (9 September 1917 — 15 August 1942) was an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er who played with

North Melbourne North Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. North Melbourne recorded a population of 14,953 at the ...

. He was killed in action serving with the R.A.A.F. in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Family

The son of Eleazar Shapir (1898-1988) and Rosetta Blanche Shapir (1898-1975), née Gooding, Morris William Shapir was born in South Melbourne on 9 September 1917. He was engaged to Norma Turnbull (his death prevented their marriage).

Football

Recruited from Melbourne High School Old Boys (MHSOB) in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA). He sustained a leg injury in the 1936 pre-season training.

Military service

Shapir served in the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

as a Flight Sergeant. On 22 October 1941, Shapir's flak-damaged

Vickers Wellington The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. Led by Vickers-Armstrongs' chief designer Rex Pierson; a key feature of the aircraft is its g ...

(IV R1765), piloted by RAF Flight Lieutenant James Anthony Hosking "Jimmie" Sargeaunt, crashed while returning from a bombing raid. The crew bailed out over

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

in England. One of the crew (the rear gunner who had not bailed out) died, and another two were wounded (including Shapir who suffered internal injuries and a broken leg). ::

Death

On 15 August 1942, the bomber Shapir was on (Wellington IC DV676), piloted by RAF Flight Sergeant Alfred Ronald Beaven (1269424), was lost over British-occupied Egypt. Shapir's remains were not found, and he is commemorated on the

Alamein Memorial The Alamein Memorial is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission war memorial in the El Alamein War Cemetery, El Alamein, Egypt. The memorial commemorates 11,866 Commonwealth forces members who died during World War II. The memorial was designed by H ...

.Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Footnotes

References

* Main, J. & Allen, D., "Shapir, Morris", pp.332-334 in Main, J. & Allen, D., ''Fallen – The Ultimate Heroes: Footballers Who Never Returned From War'', Crown Content, (Melbourne), 2002. * Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.
Roll of Honour Circular: Flight Sergeant Morris William Shapir (400357), collection of the ''Australian War Memorial''.

Roll of Honour: Flight Sergeant Morris William Shapir (400357), ''Australian War Memorial''.

Air Forces WW2 Casualty: Flight Sergeant Morris William SHAPIR (400357) of the Royal Australian Air Force, ''Royal Air Force Commands''.

Flight Sergeant Morris William Shapir (400357), ''Commonwealth War Graves Commission''.

External links

* * 1917 births 1942 deaths Australian Jews People educated at Melbourne High School Australian rules footballers from Melbourne North Melbourne Football Club players Australian military personnel killed in World War II Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Australian Air Force airmen People from South Melbourne Military personnel from Melbourne {{AFL-bio-1917-stub