In a decision he later acknowledged as poor, Neave sent Captain Peter Baker into German-controlled territory to contact the Dutch Resistance, but Baker, who "fancied himself as a secret agent" disobeyed orders and was captured on 16 October, disrupting plans for the evacuation of the stranded soldiers. Baker survived as a prisoner of war, but the Ebbens family who sheltered him were executed. The Dutch civilians who hid and gave shelter and food to the stranded soldiers ran a greater risk than did the soldiers. Captured soldiers were sent to prisoner of war camps; Dutch civilians who helped the soldiers were often executed. The Germans were aware that a large number of British soldiers were hiding near Arnhem and were actively searching for them.