diff --git a/WHATSNEW b/WHATSNEW
index b11d089aa..cb7b78dbf 100644
--- a/WHATSNEW
+++ b/WHATSNEW
@@ -164,7 +164,10 @@ Fixed bugs:
  * <signjar> would fail if used via its Java API and the File passed
    into the setJar method was not "normalized" (i.e. contained ".."
    segments).
-   Bugzilla Report 50081
+   Bugzilla Report 50081.
+
+ * <delete> ignored <fileset>'s errorOnMissingDir attribute
+   Bugzilla Report 50124.
 
 Other changes:
 --------------
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Delete.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Delete.java
index 8042e15be..77baac56a 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Delete.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Delete.java
@@ -603,6 +603,10 @@ public class Delete extends MatchingTask {
                 fs.setProject(getProject());
             }
             final File fsDir = fs.getDir();
+            if (!fs.getErrorOnMissingDir() &&
+                (fsDir == null || !fsDir.exists())) {
+                continue;
+            }
             if (fsDir == null) {
                 throw new BuildException(
                         "File or Resource without directory or file specified");
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/AbstractFileSet.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/AbstractFileSet.java
index 1efd0e430..247a71284 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/AbstractFileSet.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/types/AbstractFileSet.java
@@ -443,6 +443,15 @@ public abstract class AbstractFileSet extends DataType
          this.errorOnMissingDir = errorOnMissingDir;
      }
 
+    /**
+     * Gets whether an error is/shold be thrown if the base directory
+     * does not exist.
+     * @since Ant 1.8.2
+     */
+     public boolean getErrorOnMissingDir() {
+         return errorOnMissingDir;
+     }
+
     /**
      * Returns the directory scanner needed to access the files to process.
      * @return a <code>DirectoryScanner</code> instance.
diff --git a/src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/delete-test.xml b/src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/delete-test.xml
index da91e4b60..554f08fec 100644
--- a/src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/delete-test.xml
+++ b/src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/delete-test.xml
@@ -131,4 +131,11 @@
     </delete>
     <au:assertFileDoesntExist file="${input}/images/foo.jpg"/>
   </target>
+
+  <target name="testFilesetWithMissingButIgnoredDir"
+          description="https://issues.apache.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=50124">
+    <delete>
+      <fileset dir="${input}/not-there" errorOnMissingDir="false"/>
+    </delete>
+  </target>
 </project>