Hi again, today's journey to the Apple store was worthwhile. Not only did I get a replacement phone, it was still under warranty, but also an explanation as to what may have caused the problem.
According to the technician who assisted me, as the upgrade from IOS 5.- to 6.- is quite large, in the transfer of information upgrade, apparently the programming data for wifi and Bluetooth connectivity was lost, which apparently sometimes happens, this being described as a freak occurrence. According to the technician, if this occurs, it becomes a hardware fault and there is no repair, replacement is essentially the only option. Fortunately as I was within the warranty period, on the spot replacement was available, already with IOS 6.- on it, so was informed that the same problem would not occur.
Upon arriving home, after a minor upgrade to 6.1.2 I was able to put everything back on to the phone so it ran like it did three or so weeks ago. The other advice given was to always hook up to iTunes via your computer to do the larger updates, those that increase in whole number, as those that increase incrementally are usually very minor and are usually an addition of data, not replacement.
I hope this helps others with their problem, mine in the end was resolved within ten minutes in-store. I dread to think what situation I would have been left in if I was not within the warranty period. Good luck to you all!