 By 1939, he had obtained his ChM (Master of Surgery) qualification.It was in 1939, with the country facing the upheaval and uncertainties of the Second World War, that Illingworth moved from Edinburgh to take up the role of Regius Professor of Surgery, Glasgow.He was appointed to this Chair during the leadership of that university by Hector Hetherington, and would hold this position for 25 years from 1939 to 1964.