Mo Shapir

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.

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 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).

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.