Dunkirk, British Expeditionary Force Headquarters.
As the Minister of the Army, Kitchener had an office here; after all, this was where the British Army was fighting, and there was going to be a significant battle soon.
Kitchener was in the habit of writing in his diary after dinner.
He found it meaningful. When he retired, he could look back and easily write a memoir, summarizing this life.
After writing a few lines hastily, Kitchener suddenly lost interest.
He closed the notebook, put away the pen, and walked to the window with his coffee, gazing into the northern darkness.
What mattered wasn't writing the diary but what could be written in that small notebook, such as becoming the Prime Minister of Britain in his lifetime.
(The above image shows a WWI-era pen, invented by an American insurance agent in 1884.)
At this moment, there was a gentle knock on the door.
Kitchener collected his thoughts and turned his head, responding, "Come in."
