diff --git a/src/components/structures/TimelinePanel.js b/src/components/structures/TimelinePanel.js
index c939d31f94a..178250e7850 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/TimelinePanel.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/TimelinePanel.js
@@ -207,6 +207,8 @@ const TimelinePanel = React.createClass({
         MatrixClientPeg.get().on("Room.timeline", this.onRoomTimeline);
         MatrixClientPeg.get().on("Room.timelineReset", this.onRoomTimelineReset);
         MatrixClientPeg.get().on("Room.redaction", this.onRoomRedaction);
+        // same event handler as Room.redaction as for both we just do forceUpdate
+        MatrixClientPeg.get().on("Room.redactionCancelled", this.onRoomRedaction);
         MatrixClientPeg.get().on("Room.receipt", this.onRoomReceipt);
         MatrixClientPeg.get().on("Room.localEchoUpdated", this.onLocalEchoUpdated);
         MatrixClientPeg.get().on("Room.accountData", this.onAccountData);
@@ -286,6 +288,7 @@ const TimelinePanel = React.createClass({
             client.removeListener("Room.timeline", this.onRoomTimeline);
             client.removeListener("Room.timelineReset", this.onRoomTimelineReset);
             client.removeListener("Room.redaction", this.onRoomRedaction);
+            client.removeListener("Room.redactionCancelled", this.onRoomRedaction);
             client.removeListener("Room.receipt", this.onRoomReceipt);
             client.removeListener("Room.localEchoUpdated", this.onLocalEchoUpdated);
             client.removeListener("Room.accountData", this.onAccountData);
diff --git a/src/components/views/context_menus/MessageContextMenu.js b/src/components/views/context_menus/MessageContextMenu.js
index 2e4611f7d05..95bf59b4706 100644
--- a/src/components/views/context_menus/MessageContextMenu.js
+++ b/src/components/views/context_menus/MessageContextMenu.js
@@ -119,19 +119,29 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
     onRedactClick: function() {
         const ConfirmRedactDialog = sdk.getComponent("dialogs.ConfirmRedactDialog");
         Modal.createTrackedDialog('Confirm Redact Dialog', '', ConfirmRedactDialog, {
-            onFinished: (proceed) => {
+            onFinished: async (proceed) => {
                 if (!proceed) return;
 
                 const cli = MatrixClientPeg.get();
-                cli.redactEvent(this.props.mxEvent.getRoomId(), this.props.mxEvent.getId()).catch(function(e) {
-                    const ErrorDialog = sdk.getComponent("dialogs.ErrorDialog");
-                    // display error message stating you couldn't delete this.
+                try {
+                    await cli.redactEvent(
+                        this.props.mxEvent.getRoomId(),
+                        this.props.mxEvent.getId(),
+                    );
+                } catch (e) {
                     const code = e.errcode || e.statusCode;
-                    Modal.createTrackedDialog('You cannot delete this message', '', ErrorDialog, {
-                        title: _t('Error'),
-                        description: _t('You cannot delete this message. (%(code)s)', {code}),
-                    });
-                }).done();
+                    // only show the dialog if failing for something other than a network error
+                    // (e.g. no errcode or statusCode) as in that case the redactions end up in the
+                    // detached queue and we show the room status bar to allow retry
+                    if (typeof code !== "undefined") {
+                        const ErrorDialog = sdk.getComponent("dialogs.ErrorDialog");
+                        // display error message stating you couldn't delete this.
+                        Modal.createTrackedDialog('You cannot delete this message', '', ErrorDialog, {
+                            title: _t('Error'),
+                            description: _t('You cannot delete this message. (%(code)s)', {code}),
+                        });
+                    }
+                }
             },
         }, 'mx_Dialog_confirmredact');
         this.closeMenu();