chief techs with reversed stripes and a crown
In those days chief/ techs were Gods and mightily respected. By the time I left (as a chief/ tech) many were doing the job of a J/T, of which there was precious few!
Over the last 50 years or so, compared to the RN and Army, the RAF seems to have certainly messed about with it's non-com ranks, especially in the technical trades. The other two services have also had to contend with technical advancements but have managed, more or less, to do so within their traditional rank structure.