Morris William "Mo" Shapir (9 September 1917 – 15 August 1942) was an Australian rules footballer who played with North Melbourne. He was killed in action serving with the R.A.A.F. in World War II.
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.Flight Sergent Morris Shapir (400357),Victorian Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen & Women Australia.
He was engaged to Norma Turnbull (his death prevented their marriage).In Memoriam: Roll of Honour: On Active Service, The Argus, (Monday, 16 August 1943), p.10.
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.Shapir (N.M.) Injured, The Argus, (Friday, 27 March 1936), p.13.
Military service Shapir served in the Royal Australian Air Force as a Flight Sergeant.
On 22 October 1941, Shapir's flak-damaged Vickers Wellington (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 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).Footballer Bails Out, Army News, (Sunday, 7 December 1941), p.7.N. Melb Footballer Parachutes from Bomber: Breaks Leg, The Argus, (Saturday, 15 November 1941), p.1.
Death On 15 August 1942, the bomber Shapir was on (Wellington IC DV676), piloted by RAF Flight Sergeant Alfred Ronald Beaven (1269424),Islington Book of Remembrance: Alfred Ronald Beaven. was lost over British-occupied Egypt. Shapir's remains were not found, and he is commemorated on the Alamein Memorial.Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
See also List of Victorian Football League players who died on active service
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.
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