Max was born in Romania to Manno and Bluma Schorr and had an older brother Alexander born in 1921. An obituary in the Jewish Chronicle names his great uncle as Mr H Shaw of 10 Marine Drive, Margate. Research on the family is ongoing.

Max was the flight engineer on Halifax MX518 which departed RAF Burn on a night operation to Dusseldorf. The aircraft crashed at Eppinghoven, Germany killing four of the crew:
Pilot, Donald George Neville Boyce, 1432345, killed.
W/Op A/G, Phillip Combles Smith, 1151681, killed.
A/G, David Mackay, 1823109, killed.

Three of the crew were captured and became prisoners of war.
Leonard James Sturt 1385347, POW Stalag 357.
G H Berry, R/114954, POW Stalag Luft L6.
John Arthur Gibbs, 1338451, became a prisoner of war at Stalag 357. He was tragically killed on 19 April 1945 when his POW column was strafed by RAF Typhoons at Gresse.