SCHOOLBOY Christopher Chapman came face-to-face with his family's heroic past during a field study trip.

The 11-year-old, a pupil at Gainford Primary School, in County Durham, spent a week at the Earls Orchard field study centre, in Richmond, North Yorkshire.

And while there, he rediscovered the courageous story of his great-grand- father, who served with The Green Howards during the First World War.

His grandmother had told him that her father, Corporal Christopher Jordison, won a medal for bravery - and a trip to the regimental museum proved her right.

For, with the help of the museum's staff, Christopher found his great-grandfather's medals - and the set included a Distinguished Conduct Medal, just one step below the Victoria Cross.

Research revealed that Cpl Jordison joined The Green Howards in 1916 and was transferred in 1918 to 38th Battalion of the Machine Gun Corps, in France, where he won his DCM.

The citation read: "When the infantry was temporarily held up by hostile machine-gun fire he volunteered to locate and silence the post.

"Accompanying his section officer, he worked round to a flank and, in spite of heavy machine-gun fire and bombing, they killed seven of the team, silenced the gun, and forced the remainder to surrender. His coolness and gallantry were worthy of the highest praise."

Museum curator Major Roger Chapman said: "Christopher was very keen to find out about his great-grandfather and to find his medals.

"We were very pleased to be able to show him that they have a place of honour in our display of more than 3,500 medals - and to tell him more about the bravery of a previous generation."