Maurice was born on 29 Dec 1920 in Liverpool to Max and Rosa nee Levy and had eight siblings of which three died in childhood. Their father Max served in the Royal Army Medical Corps in WW1. Their mother Rosa died when they were young in 1931 and their father remarried two years later to Agnes Greenall. By 1939 Max and Agnes had changed their surname to Taylor and he was working as a master tailor.

Maurice was a scholar at the Hebrew Institute in Liverpool and later at St Margaret’s in Anfield from which he won a scholarship. He was well known in amateur boxing circles and won several cups.

Maurice was the navigator on Anson EG693 which departed RAF Millom in Cumbria for a bombing and navigation exercise. Whilst flying south over the mountains of southern Scotland the aircraft struck the snow covered northern slope of Craigronald Hill, Cainsmoor of Fleet, Wigtownshire. The crash was reported fairly quickly and a mountain rescue team was sent out form Wigtown. When they arrived they found Maurice alive but he died before reaching hospital.

The crew of the Anson were:
Pilot, Flt Sgt Colwyn Parker Angus RAAF
Nav, Sgt Maurice Schneider
A/B, Sgt John Walter Melhuish
U/T W/Op, Sgt Kenneth Richard Ridehalgh