Michael was born as Isiah Meyer on 5 March 1920 in Birkenhead, Cheshire to George (Goodman), who was born in Warsaw, Poland, and Caroline nee Bernstein. Michael had an older brother Harold and a younger sister Anne and their father worked in the docks in Birkenhead as a ships joiner. By 1939, the family had moved to Bebington in Wirral near to where George was working at the docks at Bromborough. In 1939, Michael lived with his parents and worked as a shop assistant in a gents outfitting shop.

Michael enlisted as a private in the South Lancashire Regiment and was killed serving in Germany. His obituary states that he was acting as a runner for his O.C. and was killed while trying to get away with a message.