diff --git a/docs/changes.txt b/docs/changes.txt
index fb51823f02..51a1b11a28 100644
--- a/docs/changes.txt
+++ b/docs/changes.txt
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ wxMSW:
 - Add wxEnhMetaFile::Detach() (Luca Bacci).
 - Add support for saving 256*256 32bpp ICOs in PNG format (Artur Wieczorek).
 - Keep menu item icon after removing and adding it back (Artur Wieczorek).
+- Add wxThread::MSWGetHandle() (troelsk).
 
 wxOSX/Cocoa:
 
diff --git a/include/wx/thread.h b/include/wx/thread.h
index 121d9b12ba..eed295d70f 100644
--- a/include/wx/thread.h
+++ b/include/wx/thread.h
@@ -583,6 +583,11 @@ public:
     // identifies a thread inside a process
     wxThreadIdType GetId() const;
 
+#ifdef __WINDOWS__
+    // Get the internal OS handle
+    WXHANDLE MSWGetHandle() const;
+#endif // __WINDOWS__
+
     wxThreadKind GetKind() const
         { return m_isDetached ? wxTHREAD_DETACHED : wxTHREAD_JOINABLE; }
 
diff --git a/interface/wx/thread.h b/interface/wx/thread.h
index fc61724a95..444b359417 100644
--- a/interface/wx/thread.h
+++ b/interface/wx/thread.h
@@ -1107,6 +1107,15 @@ public:
     */
     wxThreadIdType GetId() const;
 
+    /**
+        Gets the native thread handle.
+
+        This method only exists in wxMSW, use GetId() in portable code.
+
+        @since 3.1.0
+    */
+    WXHANDLE MSWGetHandle() const;
+
     /**
         Returns the thread kind as it was given in the ctor.
 
diff --git a/src/msw/thread.cpp b/src/msw/thread.cpp
index a2408eb518..b99c03f2d5 100644
--- a/src/msw/thread.cpp
+++ b/src/msw/thread.cpp
@@ -1226,6 +1226,13 @@ unsigned long wxThread::GetId() const
     return (unsigned long)m_internal->GetId();
 }
 
+WXHANDLE wxThread::MSWGetHandle() const
+{
+    wxCriticalSectionLocker lock(const_cast<wxCriticalSection &>(m_critsect));
+
+    return m_internal->GetHandle();
+}
+
 bool wxThread::IsRunning() const
 {
     wxCriticalSectionLocker lock(const_cast<wxCriticalSection &>(m_critsect));