diff --git a/WHATSNEW b/WHATSNEW
index 045628d35..21b5b1db0 100644
--- a/WHATSNEW
+++ b/WHATSNEW
@@ -96,6 +96,8 @@ Other changes:
 
 * new task <attrib> to change file attributes on Windows systems.
 
+* MailLogger now sets the Date header correctly.
+
 Changes from Ant 1.5.1Beta1 to 1.5.1
 ====================================
 
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/listener/MailLogger.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/listener/MailLogger.java
index 84c630710..6a2919651 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/listener/MailLogger.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/listener/MailLogger.java
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ import java.util.StringTokenizer;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.BuildEvent;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.DefaultLogger;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.Project;
+import org.apache.tools.ant.util.DateUtils;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.util.StringUtils;
 import org.apache.tools.mail.MailMessage;
 
@@ -218,6 +219,7 @@ public class MailLogger extends DefaultLogger {
     private void sendMail(String mailhost, int port, String from, String toList,
                           String subject, String message) throws IOException {
         MailMessage mailMessage = new MailMessage(mailhost, port);
+        mailMessage.setHeader("Date", DateUtils.getDateForHeader());
 
         mailMessage.from(from);
 
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/email/Mailer.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/email/Mailer.java
index d11734313..657be9cdf 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/email/Mailer.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/email/Mailer.java
@@ -53,14 +53,10 @@
  */
 package org.apache.tools.ant.taskdefs.email;
 
-import java.text.DateFormat;
-import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
-import java.util.Calendar;
-import java.util.Locale;
-import java.util.TimeZone;
 import java.util.Vector;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.BuildException;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.Task;
+import org.apache.tools.ant.util.DateUtils;
 
 /**
  * Base class for the various emailing implementations.
@@ -81,9 +77,6 @@ abstract class Mailer {
     protected Task task;
     protected boolean includeFileNames = false;
 
-    private static DateFormat df =
-        new SimpleDateFormat("EEE, dd MMM yyyy HH:mm:ss ", Locale.US);
-
     /**
      * Sets the mail server
      *
@@ -209,27 +202,7 @@ abstract class Mailer {
      * @since Ant 1.5
      */
     protected final String getDate() {
-        Calendar cal = Calendar.getInstance();
-        TimeZone tz = cal.getTimeZone();
-        int offset = tz.getOffset(cal.get(Calendar.ERA), 
-                                  cal.get(Calendar.YEAR),
-                                  cal.get(Calendar.MONTH),
-                                  cal.get(Calendar.DAY_OF_MONTH),
-                                  cal.get(Calendar.DAY_OF_WEEK),
-                                  cal.get(Calendar.MILLISECOND));
-        StringBuffer tzMarker = new StringBuffer(offset < 0 ? "-" : "+");
-        offset = Math.abs(offset);
-        int hours = offset / (60 * 60 * 1000);
-        int minutes = offset / (60 * 1000) - 60 * hours;
-        if (hours < 10) {
-            tzMarker.append("0");
-        }
-        tzMarker.append(hours);
-        if (minutes < 10) {
-            tzMarker.append("0");
-        }
-        tzMarker.append(minutes);
-        return df.format(cal.getTime()) + tzMarker.toString();
+        return DateUtils.getDateForHeader();
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/util/DateUtils.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/util/DateUtils.java
index 128b9502f..c22574a9d 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/util/DateUtils.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/util/DateUtils.java
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ import java.text.MessageFormat;
 import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
 import java.util.Calendar;
 import java.util.Date;
+import java.util.Locale;
 import java.util.TimeZone;
 
 /**
@@ -94,6 +95,12 @@ public final class DateUtils {
     public static final String ISO8601_TIME_PATTERN
             = "HH:mm:ss";
 
+    /**
+     * Format used for SMTP (and probably other) Date headers.
+     */
+    public static final DateFormat DATE_HEADER_FORMAT
+        = new SimpleDateFormat("EEE, dd MMM yyyy HH:mm:ss ", Locale.US);
+
 
 // code from Magesh moved from DefaultLogger and slightly modified
     private static final MessageFormat MINUTE_SECONDS
@@ -219,4 +226,34 @@ public final class DateUtils {
         }
         return (((((dayOfTheYear + epact) * 6) + 11) % 177) / 22) & 7;
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the current Date in a format suitable for a SMTP date
+     * header.
+     *
+     * @since Ant 1.5.2
+     */
+    public static String getDateForHeader() {
+        Calendar cal = Calendar.getInstance();
+        TimeZone tz = cal.getTimeZone();
+        int offset = tz.getOffset(cal.get(Calendar.ERA), 
+                                  cal.get(Calendar.YEAR),
+                                  cal.get(Calendar.MONTH),
+                                  cal.get(Calendar.DAY_OF_MONTH),
+                                  cal.get(Calendar.DAY_OF_WEEK),
+                                  cal.get(Calendar.MILLISECOND));
+        StringBuffer tzMarker = new StringBuffer(offset < 0 ? "-" : "+");
+        offset = Math.abs(offset);
+        int hours = offset / (60 * 60 * 1000);
+        int minutes = offset / (60 * 1000) - 60 * hours;
+        if (hours < 10) {
+            tzMarker.append("0");
+        }
+        tzMarker.append(hours);
+        if (minutes < 10) {
+            tzMarker.append("0");
+        }
+        tzMarker.append(minutes);
+        return DATE_HEADER_FORMAT.format(cal.getTime()) + tzMarker.toString();
+    }
 }