A series of applied field measurements have been done on rods of martensitic steel using a BH-permeameter incorporated into a stress-strain apparatus. Zero stress measurements have been cross-checked using a VSM. For the unstressed steel, it is shown that it is necessary to adapt the Jiles-Atherton model to account for a significant departure in the virgin and demagnetisation curves from that predicted in the standard model. The adapted model gives a good description of magnetisation changes for points on the curve and provides an insight into the reversal mechanism in martensitic steel. Measurements under stress indicate that the nature of the reversal mechanism is stress dependent.