Was LAC really considered a command rank?
Until 1951, Leading Aircraftsman was not a "command" rank in the sense that they could issue a Form 252, but they were supervisory within their trade group. In 1951 AC1 and AC2 was abolished, making LAC effectively the lowest trained rank and from then until 1964 Trade Groups 1 to 4 had Technician ranks with the Warrant rank being called Master Technician. Junior Technicians came between the newly created Senior Aircraftsman and Corporal and wore a single "upside down" stripe.
Technician ranks were supervisory within the trade group but were not "command" ranks. It was possible for a Corporal Technician with his upside down stripes to be "promoted" to Corporal and reverse his stripes to the familiar 'point at the bottom' orientation. Upon qualifying as a Sergeant Technician he would put sew his three stripes on with the point upwards and though senior to a Corporal Technician, continued to hold the "command" rank of Corporal. A Corporal could, in theory, order Sergeant and Chief Technicians about, though I never saw one that was brave enough to try it.
That was the confusing state of play when I joined, but as an Aircraft Apprentice I had no need to work out who was junior or senior to me or who could or could not give me orders: I was so low in the grand scheme of things that I could be ordered about by anyone, including the NAAFI girls. (As a Brat, apart from the bandmaster "Chiefy" Bailey, the only person who ever spoke to me nicely was an ex-Brat Air Vice Marshal that I bumped into on the train).