diff --git a/src/matrix/room/BaseRoom.js b/src/matrix/room/BaseRoom.js
index 3314e9b1..47e4b390 100644
--- a/src/matrix/room/BaseRoom.js
+++ b/src/matrix/room/BaseRoom.js
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import {RelationWriter} from "./timeline/persistence/RelationWriter.js";
 import {Timeline} from "./timeline/Timeline.js";
 import {FragmentIdComparer} from "./timeline/FragmentIdComparer.js";
 import {WrappedError} from "../error.js"
-import {fetchOrLoadMembers, loadMember} from "./members/load.js";
+import {fetchOrLoadMembers, fetchOrLoadMember} from "./members/load.js";
 import {MemberList} from "./members/MemberList.js";
 import {Heroes} from "./members/Heroes.js";
 import {EventEntry} from "./timeline/entries/EventEntry.js";
@@ -224,8 +224,14 @@ export class BaseRoom extends EventEmitter {
             // Hit, we're already observing this member
             return mapMember;
         }
-        // Miss, load from storage and set in map
-        const member = await loadMember({roomId: this._roomId, userId, storage: this._storage});
+        // Miss, load from storage/hs and set in map
+        const member = await fetchOrLoadMember({
+            summary: this._summary,
+            roomId: this._roomId,
+            userId,
+            storage: this._storage,
+            hsApi: this._hsApi
+        }, this._platform.logger);
         if (!member) {
             return false;
         }
diff --git a/src/matrix/room/members/load.js b/src/matrix/room/members/load.js
index a7b2e641..8bd6c761 100644
--- a/src/matrix/room/members/load.js
+++ b/src/matrix/room/members/load.js
@@ -91,8 +91,39 @@ export async function fetchOrLoadMembers(options, logger) {
     }
 }
 
-export async function loadMember({roomId, userId, storage}) {
+export async function fetchOrLoadMember(options, logger) {
+    const member = await loadMember(options);
+    const {summary} = options;
+    if (!summary.data.hasFetchedMembers && !member) {
+        // We haven't fetched the memberlist yet; so ping the hs to see if this member does exist
+        return logger.wrapOrRun(options.log, "fetchMember", log => fetchMember(options, log));
+    }
+    return member;
+}
+
+async function loadMember({roomId, userId, storage}) {
     const txn = await storage.readTxn([storage.storeNames.roomMembers,]);
     const member = await txn.roomMembers.get(roomId, userId);
     return member? new RoomMember(member) : undefined;
 }
+
+async function fetchMember({roomId, userId, hsApi, storage}, log) {
+    const memberData = await hsApi.state(roomId, "m.room.member", userId, {log}).response();
+    const member = new RoomMember({
+        roomId,
+        userId,
+        membership: memberData.membership,
+        avatarUrl: memberData.avatar_url,
+        displayName: memberData.displayname,
+    });
+    const txn = await storage.readWriteTxn([storage.storeNames.roomMembers]);
+    try {
+        txn.roomMembers.set(member.serialize());
+    }
+    catch(e) {
+        txn.abort();
+        throw e;
+    }
+    await txn.complete();
+    return member;
+}